Maria Barbieri is an Italian guitarist born in 1994 in Lacco Ameno, on the island of Ischia. Raised in a musical household — with her father Antonio on bass, her mother Liliana on keyboards, her sister singing and playing, and her brother on drums — Maria developed a passion for music from an early age.

At just nine years old, she asked her father to take guitar lessons. She began on acoustic guitar, then moved to electric at age ten, taking private lessons and exploring the expressive range of the instrument. At eleven, she performed live for the first time alongside her brother Domenico, who played drums at the time.

Her early influences included Dimebag Darrell, Steve Morse, and David Gilmour, while her father’s love for progressive rock introduced her to bands such as King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, and Jethro Tull — all of which left a deep and lasting impression on her musical identity. She also cites Led Zeppelin, Steve Hackett, and Pink Floyd as key inspirations.

During her university years, Maria made the decision to fully dedicate herself to a professional music career. She began performing regularly across Italy — in TV shows, pop, rock, and fusion bands — while also composing her own material. She launched her first trio, which laid the foundation for the personal artistic direction she would later return to after several years of touring internationally.

Robert Fripp mentioned her in various outlets: Innerviews, Classic Rock, La Stampa, El País

In 2019, Maria received personal recognition from one of her musical heroes, Robert Fripp, marking an emotional milestone in her path as a guitarist.

Fripp on Maria Barbieri:

"The choice of members is not arbitrary. This King Crimson I saw on the evening of June 22, 2013 had seven musicians. They were individual, specific musicians, and they were all men. If they had all been women, I would have made the phone calls. But they weren't. Are we open to women members of the band? Sure, if they're the right women in the right time, right place and right circumstance. And there is a wonderful woman named Maria Barbieri that plays 'Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part Two.' But she didn't spring to mind on June 22, 2013. If she had, I would have made the call. She’s doing a great job."

She was recently mentioned again by Robert Fripp on social media and on the official King Crimson page for her performance of "Fracture", a song considered nearly impossible to play.

ARTISTIC LIFE

In 2020, Maria was invited to join an internationally acclaimed artist for a major world tour — an important and meaningful moment in her artistic journey. Although the collaboration ultimately did not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the experience remains a significant milestone in her development as a professional guitarist.

In 2023, Gregory Spawton invited Maria to join Big Big Train for their European tour, stepping in for guitarist Dave Foster, who was committed to the Steve Rothery Band during that period. Maria joined Gregory Spawton, Alberto Bravin, Rikard Sjöblom, Nick D’Virgilio, Clare Lindley, Oskar Holldorff, and the brass ensemble, performing across Europe in August and September — including a notable appearance at the 2 Days Prog +1 Festival in Veruno, Italy. The final two shows at Cadogan Hall in London were recorded and released as the live album A Flare On The Lens (2024) via Inside Out Music, where Maria's contributions are featured in a powerful live performance distributed worldwide.

In late 2024, she was invited by renowned Danish musical director Søren Graversen to join the official production of We Will Rock You – The Musical by Queen & Ben Elton. In February 2025, Maria moved to Denmark to begin rehearsals with a stellar team, including Søren Graversen, Søren Bigum, Tove Sørensen, and Stephan Grabowski. From March to June 2025, she performed 88 shows in Denmark’s finest theatres with a cast of top-tier talent, standing out as the only Italian in the production. Her performance of Brian May’s legendary guitar parts was praised by the press and audience alike, highlighting her versatility and precision in a large-scale musical theatre context.

Maria is endorsed by Suhr Guitars, one of the world’s premier boutique guitar makers.

In 2025 was named Best New Band Artist by Prog Magazine.

Alongside her session and live work, Maria is currently developing her solo artistic project. Her first two singles — Guitar Dance In The Morning (featuring Nick Beggs, Larry Crowe, Lenny Castro, and Enzo Buono) and A Peaceful Place (with Larry Crowe, Luca Di Gennaro, and Mohini Dey) — are now available on all major streaming platforms.

Maria thrives in high-level musical environments where quality and artistic depth are valued. Fans and critics often praise her sonic elegance and her ability to adapt with taste and balance to the diverse musical contexts in which she performs. She continues to tour, collaborate, and shape her first solo album — a space to explore her personal vision and creative voice.

“It’s funny, there’s an Italian guitarist who’s learned that solo. She’s called Maria Barbieri, an amazing guitar player. She’s transcribed that guitar solo and she can play it exactly: I could never play it again! (laughs) Never! It’s amazing to see someone else transcribe it. She could probably tell you what I’m doing better than I could.”

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