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The Entrepreneurial Pianist

by David Drake 

Julian Gargiulo may be a classical pianist entrepreneur but he has the hair of a rock star. He likes to

 joke about this on stage. He says, “When !as a child !anted to learn ho! to play the guitar butmy parents gave me piano lessons instead. "y hair never stopped dreaming.# 

t$s !ith this same kind of lightness that he approaches the piano bench. His curly, rebellious anduntamed hair plays its o!n part in this unusual pianist$s performances. %hough he$s not likely toburn any of the &tein!ay pianos he performs on, in Jimi Hendri'(like fashion )after all, he !asrecently named a &tein!ay *rtist+, you never !alk into a Julian Gargiulo performance kno!inge'actly !hat to e'pect.

had the pleasure to produce his arnegie Hall concerts from -/ to -0, and have since

follo!ed his career as a patron of the arts. %he entrepreneurial spirit and endeavors shines throughhis charm and presentation. f you had to describe Julian, it might be a tough choice bet!een a

charismatic virtuoso !ho can deliver a joke, or a sarcastic storyteller !ho !orks the cro!dhumorously. Depending on ho! you look at it, both definitions are accurate for this piano

entrepreneur slo!ly building an audience globally and producing music that is still sold via Ds.

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His schooling is hardly a joking matter, having attended )and survived1+ the prestigious "osco!onservatory in 2ussia and the 3eabody onservatory in 4nited &tates. 5et!een e'clusiveperformances for the 3resident of &ingapore, innovative concerts at arnegie Hall in 6e! 7ork, andhis o!n Water sland "usic 8estival of lassical and Ja99 "usic in :irgin slands, Julian Gargiulo getsaround a lot1 n a state of semi(permanent jet(lag, he may not kno! e'actly !hat time it is backhome in 3aris )!here he$s been based !ith his !ife and daughter for the past t!o years+ but he

never fails to be in time !ith his audience.

We caught up !ith him over the phone from the aribbean island of *ntigua.David; Why do you do !hat you do<Julian; “I can’t help it. I want people to leave my performances smiling. Forget their troubles.Forget their worries. Forget the stock market. I always tell them “music is the best investment” and then point them in the direction of the CD table.” David; 7ou just played at arnegie Hall. What$s your favorite audience<

Julian; “he last one I’ve played for. !nd it’s not only because I have a bad memory. "hat was the#uestion again$” David; *re you ever serious or is it part of your brand<Julian; “I find people are often concerned with that% or at least with that word. I am very serious&about having fun.” 

&o !hat should you e'pect if Julian performs at a theater near you< He might greet you as you$reentering the concert hall !ith “they !ere a little short on ushers tonight# as he prefers to make hisentrance by leaping up onto the stage from the audience side. f you$re not careful, he might bringyou up on stage as !ell, to play pantomime !ith a little hopin. %hen break for a =uestion >*ns!er “but $ll be asking the ?uestions.# 

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&imply put, e'pect to revise any preconceived notions you have about classical music concerts. He!ill entertain. Do not e'pect to sit still. Do not e'pect to look at the program. Do not e'pect to bespared just because you sat in the back ro!. Do e'pect to learn things you never kne!, about thelives of the composers, Julian$s t!o(year(old daughter$s sleeping patterns, or the latest in airportsecurity trends. “hey’ve even started patting down my hair. !nd they usually find something.” 

Definitely, e'pect to listen to classical masterpieces, delivered !ith genuine emotion and incredibleprecision. n short, e'pect to develop a mini(crush on the guy1 *ll in all, his greatest talent might

simply be his unbelievable likeableness1 Humble before the classical composers he plays, hemanages to reach out and strike a chord in each and every person listening to him. n the end, they

!ill all probably get up and give him a standing ovation. did.

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Julian is currently on tour in the 4&. 8or the rest of the year his program includes concerts in thearibbean, *sia, and *ustralia. He has a never ending entrepreneurial ?uest to build hisentrepreneurial career as a pianist. f you do find yourself at a Gargiulo concert, don$t forget to buyhis “2oll over 5eethoven# D, !ith his o!n compositions including “%he @ost &onata for 3iano and%rumpet; . "oderato intenso, . &cher9o, . *ndante and :. 8inale.# 8or more information,visit !!!.juliangargiulo.com.

6ote; %his article appeared on %he &oho@oft !ith this linkhttp;AAthesoholoft.comAthe(

entrepreneurial(pianist(by(david(drakeA on "ar /, -BC.

David Drake is an early'stage e#uity e(pert and the founder and chairman of )ew *ork'based :ictoria Global with divisions @DJ apital % a family office and private e#uity advisory firm%and  %he &oho @oft "edia Group+ he ,oice of Capital Formation + a global financial media company involved in Corporate Communications% -ublications% and Conferences. *ou can reach him directly

at David/D0Capital.com.