About

During his 30-year career, he has released 35 albums for various record labels and has composed more than 200 pieces for accordion, some of which have subsequently been arranged and performed by various top ensembles such as the Slovenian Radio TV Big Band, the Military Orchestra and many others.

Denis Novato was born on the 4th of May 1976 in Trieste. He attended primary and secondary school in the municipality of San Dorligo della Valle, then went on to study accountancy in Trieste, where he also graduated as a business expert. After graduating, he attended specialised computer courses at the University of Trieste, obtaining a degree as a computer expert. At the age of 12, he took up the study of the classical accordion by attending courses taught by Prof. Giovanni Tarabocchia under Susanna Zeriali at the Fran Venturini cultural club in Domio. As early as the first year, he won his first accordion competition in Urbino. In the same year, he began playing football, first with the youth team of Breg in San Dorligo della Valle, then with Costalunga in Trieste. Football and music are his passion, but with much difficulty at some point he is forced to make a choice. So he decided to continue his accordion studies, adding the diatonic accordion as well. His first work experiences were in the import-export sector, where he worked as a trainee in a number of companies, then as a bank clerk and then again until 2000 as a customs agent at the Rabuiese (Trieste) customs office. The opening of the borders sends the industry into crisis and convinces Novato to try to make a living from music, teaching, recording cassettes and CDs and giving accordion lessons to young people and adults. Although his initial conviction was that his time as a ‘professional’ musician would be short-lived, the growing success he achieved year after year and the encouragement of the public who began to know and follow him convinced him to continue with the knowledge that he had taken the right path. Between 1991 and 1995, he achieved 25 first places and victories in international competitions. Among the most important trophies were three first places at the World Championships, the golden plaque obtained in Ljubecna (Slovenia) and the award as the best accordionist of the coastline. In 1998 in Latina he won the absolute world title in the senior category and the special prize for one of his own compositions. Having achieved the best possible result, he decided to retire from competitions and began to pay more attention to young accordionists. In the meantime, he began to establish himself as a concert soloist and held his first tours in Australia (in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra) and the USA (Cleveland, New York, Boston, Atlantic City, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Miami, Orlando, Dallas, San Antonio, Detroit). Over the years, Novato carved out a professional place for himself in the world of diatonic accordion, appearing as a guest on several radio and television programmes. From 2000 onwards, he published several albums on CD and cassette tape for the Pioneer Records label, which specialises in popular and auteur music. In this way, he is able to document and perpetuate the knowledge of traditional songs that would otherwise be destined for oblivion. At the same time, he began to develop his own personal solo style, which led him to compose and record several albums.

In 2009, he went platinum with the album ‘Sulla strada dei successi’.

With a superb technical mastery of the instrument and superbly passionate performance, Novato has gradually won the appreciation of even the most demanding audience, achieving incredible success internationally and performing on all continents. He has been a guest numerous times at the Communities of Italians in Australia, Canada and the United States. In 2008, he collaborated on an album that received a Grammy Award nomination as instrumentalist and co-author of three tracks by renowned accordionist Walter Ostanek (winner of 3 Grammy Awards). Throughout his career, Novato has also had the opportunity to perform in front of illustrious personalities, such as twice in front of the President Emeritus of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, and on many occasions in front of the President of the Slovenian Republic, Borut Pahor.