Olivia Belli

Olivia Belli is a modern classical pianist and composer based in Italy’s Marche region. Her music, inspired by nature, the visual arts and spirituality, has reached audiences worldwide with millions of streams. As a composer, she has written works for several high-profile musicians including organist Anna Lapwood and cellist Gautier Capuçon. Born in Mantova, she moved around Italy with her father’s work before settling in Trieste when she was around nine, and began playing the piano. Trieste’s location between the sea and what she describes as “the rude landscape of the Carso”—the limestone plateau located between northeastern Italy and southwestern Slovenia—has been an important influence on her sensibility. Belli studied with Lazar Berman and Jörg Demus before embarking on an international career as a performer. Early recordings of works by Philip Glass and Max Richter earned her critical praise. She also studied with the pianist Enrico Belli, who became her husband and with whom she recorded George Crumb’s Makrokosmos. Other composers she has cited as being particular favourites include Bach, Chopin and Satie as well as contemporary figures such as Ludovico Einaudi. Belli released her first EP of original piano songs, Other Lines, in 2018, later that year releasing her debut album of her own music, Where Night Never Comes. Belli was the first female composer invited by Apple Music to curate its Piano Chill playlist. Now an exclusive artist with Sony Classical, in 2026 she appeared as soloist in a recording of her own concerto Daimon.