Rick DiGiallonardo, Director: Music Media Performance and Industry/Associate Professor of Music, Ball State University. Undergraduate studies in music, University of N. Colorado, Portland State University; Graduate studies in music theory, Portland State University, University of North Texas.
At an early age, Rick was arranging and performing with the top groups on the West Coast and working as a session player for Universal Studios and the K-Tel records. These and other associations led to his signing with Geffen Records and later with Polygram Records. His career in music is vast, as he has performed with such notables as Elton John, Rick Springfield, Linda Ronstandt, QuarterFlash and many more. During this time, Rick’s studio experience also included performing on movie soundtracks such as Gremlins, Gremlins II, Night Shift, Fast Times at Ridgemont High and others. His musical endeavors led to his receiving three gold and three platinum albums in the United States, Canada and Japan, and more. Through these associations he has also been the recipient of an American Music Award and two Grammy nominations.
Rick has produced 5 albums in the last 3 years for Indie artists around the country including Graham Cochrane, Pipe Dreams; Thea, Fall to Fate; Mark DeyMaz, Lady Wisdom, and the movie soundtrack “My Name Is Jerry,” to name a few.
In November 2009, Rick was the recipient of Best Movie Soundtrack at the London International Film Festival for his writing of the music for the movie My Name Is Jerry. Since then, he as been contracted to score music for other filmmakers.
He is in constant demand as a keyboardist and performer, arranger/composer, as well as a consultant and teacher in the areas of Intellectual Property/Copyright Law, Producing, Recording. He continues to perform both live and for studio engagements.