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He is not easy to define. I met him in a cafč in Manhattan, right after his concert held in Carnegie Hall.

While he answers questions he always is in control of the situation: people, their glances, their movements. He always keeps an eye on what is going on around him. He is the first one to bend down and pick up a glove dropped by a girl in front of the counter. Beward, nothing escapes the chameleon.

"I have no exact definition for my art he claims without hesitation. Some friends wanted to call me the ‘stand-up pianist’, but the definition was not exact. It sounded as though I was playing the piano standing up. Instead what I really do is describe the musical pieces to my audience in a humorous way. I want the audience to leave my concerts feeling satisfied: having listened to good music and having reflected on important themes, even if it’s only for a few minutes."

It may sound presumptuous, but it is exactly what you feel listening to him. During the concert one is not only impressed with the quality of the pianist, but also with the extraordinary interaction between audience and pianist. Julian explains the pieces, answers the questions regarding his performance and guides us along a particular path throughout the course of the evening.

In Carnegie Hall the theme that connected the pieces by Schumann and Beethoven was the life cycle, understood as a succession from the innocence of birth to the final attainment of wisdom, and going through the stages of falling in love, conflict and maturity. This, all accompanied by his unique sense of humor. "I would like to thank the one person who has made this whole evening possible….my taxi-driver", Julian said to his audience. "I would like you to leave this hall with two things: the first is a reflection on the meaning of life, the second, a copy of my new CD."

Let's take a step backwards in the life of our pianist chameleon. Julian was born in Naples from a Neapolitan father and American mother. He began studying the piano at the age of seven. "After a little while, though, I decided to stop." He explains to me over a cup of coffee. "I didn’t like the teacher and at that time the only pianist in the family was my older brother. The real passion for music came later. At thirteen, I began studying at the conservatory. This time I was fortunate enough to find an exceptional teacher, Professor Randone, who believed in me."

After studying in Italy Julian attended the Moscow Conservatory where he studied with Professor Mezhlumov. "It was an incredible experience that allowed me to meet up with extraordinary people. The word that I would use to describe my Russian friends is ‘dushevna’ that is, a relationship based on reciprocal help and camaraderie. I remember often in the evening, not knowing how to cook, going to the rooms of other students and eating something – that little bit was enough."

"In 1999 – he recalls – I decided to move to New York. I had no relatives there but the enormous opportunities the city had to offer lured me there. As far as the difficulties are concerned, I must admit that I was luckier than other Italian artists. I speak the language perfectly and I have American citizenship. This allowed me to be accepted by the local people more rapidly. This does not mean that the beginning was particularly easy. To get concerts in this city is extremely difficult, and I often wound up playing concerts in retirement homes."

Then things started to change. Julian began meeting the right people. And in 2002 the first important concerts begin. (First in the Virgin Islands, followed by Italy, Germany, Russia, Australia.)

"The idea of joining humor with piano – he continues – began later. Already when I would play in the retirement homes I would explain the meaning of the pieces. And I could see that the audience would become more involved in the music. Then I met Joseph Burgstaller, a musician who plays with the Canadian Brass and at the same time likes to entertain the audience. Thanks to his encouragement, I developed my own style of entertainment. It is a style that as we speak is in evolution, I repeat, I would not even know how to define it."

On the other hand, it is not the strict definition that counts. Julian is a volcano of ideas who re-invents himself continuously. He knew how to create his ‘persona’.

"In the future – I would like to experiment with new forms of entertainment during my concerts. For example, getting auctioned off at the end of a concert for a dinner with the highest bidder, setting up a projector and large screen behind the piano to allow the entire hall an unobstructed view of the pianist. I would also like to work in television presenting a live concert with a lot of dialogue with those present. It would be great if during my concerts for students a video could be shot and produced by the students themselves, helping them better understand the musical world by integrated it with this form of media."

Julian could continue to speak about his projects for hours. One remains fascinated and won over by his enterprising ideas.

"It’s true, I am very ambitious and I have a lot of ideas. Sometimes I discuss these ideas with the people who work with me. But mainly I try to promote my image as an individual. In fact, I believe that each person's life is their best promotion. To quote Nike "just do it" my motto is "just be it". To believe in yourself first, is the only way to convince others that what you are doing is right."

A good slogan, without a doubt, worthy of a chameleon, with American pragmatism, Russian camaraderie, and Italian charm. Very successful with women, in fact, they all raced to Julian after his performance to have their CD’s signed by him.

"It’s true, I can’t deny it. My attitude toward women is typically Italian" – he smiles with a sly grin – the Italian knows his charm and doesn’t hide it.