After attaining the Viola Certificate “magna cum laude” in 1985, Gianluca Littera discovered the chromatic harmonica to which he has devoted himself entirely, becoming one of the very few soloists in the World today to perform classical and jazz music with this instrument.
His repertoire contains only original symphonic and chamber-music pieces including the Concerto para Harmonica by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Suite Anglaise for the Harmonica and Orchestra by Darius Milhaud, and other works by composers such as Gordon Jacob, Robert Farnon, Vaughan Williams, William Walton, Luciano Chailly, James Moody, Graham Whettam and Alan Hovahness.
Gianluca Littera is a regular guest at important international shows and musical events such as: the Kremerata Baltica, the Santa Cecilia National Academy, the Verona Arena Orchestra, the National Lithuanian Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (Brazil), the Italian Swiss Orchestra, the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich (Austria), the Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao (Spain), the Kremlin String Orchestra (Russia), the National Estonian Orchestra (Estonia), the Orchestre Régional de Cannes Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur (France), the Symphonic Orchestra of Acapulco (Mexico), the OFUNAM Orchestra (Mexico), the Symphonic Orchestra of Castilla y Leon (Spain), the Regional Tuscany Orchestra, the Bolzano Haydn Orchestra, the Symphonic Grand Canary Orchestra (Spain), The Virtuosi Italiani…
He has collaborated on many occasions with the Santa Cecelia Orchestra of the National Academy in Rome: both at concerts and in recording projects with Maestro M.W. Chung, including the Inauguration Concert of the New Auditorium in Rome “La Cavea” dedicated to Cinema Music (2003), with a programme of compositions arranged and conducted by the Oscar award winner Louis Bacalov.
He gave a World Premier performance with the Academy Orchestra in 2010 of the composition written for him by the Oscar award winner Maestro Ennio Morricone for the Harmonica and Orchestra “Immobile 2” conducted by the composer himself.
He performs with the Kremerata Baltica Orchestra of the violinist Gidon Kremer, with whom he has performed both in Europe and at the Lockhenaus Festival in Austria (2011).
In 2012 he performed at the Vienna Musikverein with the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich conducted by Maestro Andrea Posada.
His performance of Divertimento for harmonica and strings (in the transcription for the string quartet) by Gordon Jacob, with the Scala String Quartet, was selected by the Asolo Music Festival for inclusion in the CD launched on occasion of the 30 Year Jubilee of the Festival, as token of the many collaborations that have made the Venetian Festival famous.
He collaborates with the Brazilian composer and conductor Gil Jardim in projects for Brazilian music which have included the production of a CD of original compositions and arrangements for the Harmonica and Orchestra.
In the world of Jazz, he works with artists of the calibre of Ute Lemper, Hector Infanzon with whom he will start a European Tour in November 2013, Eugenio Toussaint Trio, Ivan Lins…
His latest CD under the Stradivarius label includes pieces for the Harmonica and Orchestra by Whettam, Hovaness, Tauski… some of which are Absolute World Premiers recording.
