Andy DiGelsomina

Who is Andy DiGelsomina?

Andy DiGelsomina is an opera composer and electric lead guitarist. He is solely responsible for the music composition of the heavy metal opera project, Lyraka. The opera features the participation of names like Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, MSG, Alcatrazz), Tommy Heart (Uli Jon Roth, Fair Warning), Veronica Freeman (Benedictum), Jeff Pilson (Dio, Dokken), and Ken Kelly.

DiGelsomina was born September 12th, 1966 in Springfield, Ohio, but has lived the majority of his life in the New England area. The paternal side of DiGelsomina's family were avid music enthusisasts, his grandfather owning a large Classical music collection, and his father being more interested in top 10 popular music. His father, who didn't like hard rock or heavy metal at all, would assent to DiGelsomina taking albums of that ilk from his own collection.

Although a music lover from a very early age, he first concentrated on Creative Writing, receiving a college degree at the age of 18. At 17, due to exposure to the first Black Sabbath album, DiGelsomina picked up electric guitar, and began writing songs and being otherwise creative with the instrument immediately. He also would spend up to 11 hours a day practicing, and learning songs from bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Manowar, Ulrich Roth's Scorpions, Van Halen, Michael Schenker Group, Judas Priest, and AC/DC.

DiGelsomina cites his main musical influences as Richard Wagner and Ritchie Blackmore. He has an in depth Richard Wagner site that outlines the similarities between Wagner's operas and heavy metal. He categorizes his music as "Wagnerian Opera Metal".

DiGelsomina currently lives in Burlington, Vermont. He is a Roman Catholic.