Michelangelo Carbonara owes his piano training mainly to Sergio Perticaroli, William Grant Naboré and Fou Ts’Ong.
He graduated at seventeen at the Conservatory Santa Cecilia in Rome, with full marks, under Fausto Di Cesare’s guidance.
In 1999 he was awarded his Piano Specialisation Degree by the Academy of Santa Cecilia, winning a grant as best graduate of the year.
He continued his studies at the Salzburg Mozarteum and at the Académie Musicale de Villecroze in France. He attended masterclasses headed by Bruno Canino, Dominique Merlet and Gyorgy Sandor.
In 2001 he was admitted to the International Piano Foundation “Theo Lieven” and the International Piano Academy Lake-Como headed by Martha Argerich. He had lessons with many important pianists such as Leon Fleisher, Dimitri Bashkirov, Claude Frank, Menahem Pressler, Andreas Staier, Peter Frankl and Alicia De Larrocha.
He has won 17 prizes in International piano competitions (including the Schubert International Piano Competition in Dortmund).
In 2003 he gave his first performance in China, and a masterclass at the Central Conservatory in Beijing.
In 2007 he made his debut at Carnegie Hall, New York and he now performs regularly in Europe, America, Asia and Africa.
He has recorded for Papageno, Tactus, Suonare Records, Brilliant Classics, Egea, Piano Classics, Nascor-Ysaye Records-Harmonia Mundi.
In 2005 he was invited at the National Prize for Arts, promoted by the Italian Ministery for Culture, as testimonial for the italian music.
He is active also as conductor, composer, arranger and recording director of classical music as well as jazz, pop and film music.