Antonio Pontarelli

Antonio Pontarelli (born on April 1, 1991) is a Southern Californian rock musician, singer, songwriter, and electric violinist who has won numerous national and international awards, including the title of Grand Champion of "America's Most Talented Kid" competition on PAX TV. In April 2008 he won the "Peoples Voice Award" of the prestigious [http://www.songwritingcompetition.com International Songwriting Competition] with over 15,000 entries and the IEMA Music awards for "Best Rook Band". In 2007 Pontarelli won for "Best Performance" in the Unisong International Songwriting Competition, was named "Best Instrumentalist" and "Best Artist" at the "Southern California Music Awards" and the "Inland Empire Music Awards”. In April 2006, he received the most votes of all teenagers in the People's Voice Award of the [http://www.songwritingcompetition.com International Songwriting Competition] and his Hurricane Katrina-inspired epic song "Things Fall Apart" was named the "Best Song of the Month" by [http://www.songwriteruniverse.com Songwriter Universe] . Pontarelli's musicality and ability to use Baroque roots in a current way is paving the way for a fresh new style of alternative rock.

Classically trained, Pontarelli started composing for national television at 11 and has made 8 national television appearances. He is the winner of 7 violin and concerto competitions, and he was the concertmaster of the San Diego Youth Symphony from 2003 to 2005. Pontarelli has played for Grammy (NARAS) events, national television, music festivals, rock concerts, and has made special appearances with some of the most talented Grammy award-winning musicians in the nation. He has shared the stage with Jethro Tull, Billy Preston, the San Diego Symphony and Ray Charles, among others. In February 2006, his violin playing and an interview aired on major national television stations including "The Tonight Show", CNN, TV Guide and E! from the red carpet of the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.

In fall 2006, Pontarelli performed classical and electric violin tracks for System of a Down lead singer Serj Tankian's debut solo album, Elect the Dead, released in October 2007 and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard charts. He has a band of exceptional musicians which has been playing at major events and is currently recording their debut CD to be released in 2008. Pontarelli, who was called one of the "Hot Unsigned Acts of 2007" by Music Connection Magazine will soon be heard on the airwaves.

External links

* [http://www.antoniomusic.com/ Official website]
*myspace|antoniopontarelli