Filippo Gambetta (born in 1981) is an italian melodeon player and composer; the music that he presents is innovative contemporary folk music with lots of different influences. Hailing from Genoa, in northern Italy, Filippo began playing the accordion at the age of fourteen; his music is steeped in northern Italian folk idioms, but also taps Nordic, Celtic, Balkan and other global inspirations. His main band at present is a trio with acoustic guitarist Claudio de Angeli and double bassist Riccardo Barbera.

He recorded three albums for the italian label Felmay: Stria (2000), Pria Goaea (2002), Andirivieni (2009). As well as the core trio, both Pria Goaea and Andirivieni feature guest musicians: Michel Balatti, Oliver Schroer, Mario Arcari, Piero Ponzo, Sandra Wong, Fabio Vernizzi, Beppe Gambetta and Alessio Pisani to name a few.
In duo, trio and quartet, playing his own music, Filippo Gambetta has performed at many international festivals and events; for three years he toured Canada with his trio.

Here follows a list of the main venues: Folkest, Lithos, Passaggi di Confine, Alkantara Fest, Musica nei castelli di Liguria, Napoli Poesia, Le Grand Soufflet, Brussels Folk Festival, Edmonton Folk Festival, Festival d'Eté de Quebec, Calgary Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, Festival Vancouver, Winnipeg Folk Music Festival, Roots and blues Festival, Mission Folk Festival, Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, European Voices Festival Helsinki, Greenage Festival, Sentieri Acustici, Emmas, Geometrie Sonore, Aarhus Folk Festival, Brossella Folk & Jazz, Sori Jazz, Gong / Settembre Musica, Etétrad, Lecco Artlab, Le Vie della Musica, L'Albero di canto, Tribù Italiche, Folk Festival di Castelfidardo, Biberach Musikfruhlings, Walnut Valley Festival, Suoni e voci dal mondo, Harrison Festival of the Arts, Vancouver Island Musicfest, Borgosonoro, Halkaer Festival, Trad.it Festival, Festival Touscouleurs, Musiche dal Mondo, Festival Les Nuits Basaltiques, Nazioarteko Trikitixa Jaialdian, Le Vie del Suono, Radio3 InFestival.

Filippo has composed original music for theatre pieces and contemporary dance choreographies. In this field, at present, he mainly collaborates with the Genoese dance company Ubidanza (Aline Nari and Davide Frangioni); the other theatre companies he has worked with are:

Teatro dell'Archivolto – Genova (Verso Macondo), Teatro della Tosse – Genova (Noi che sempre navighiamo), Teatro Carlo Felice/ Auditorium Montale – Genova (Halloween).

Both in studio and in live concerts, Filippo has collaborated with many musicians and bands. Some of them are: Oliver Schroer, Griff, Sandra Wong, Orchestra Bailam, Max Manfredi, La Rionda, Harmoniraptus, Comunn Mor, Emilia Lajunen, Beppe Gambetta, Decker/Decombel, Vincenzo Caglioti, Rémy Boniface, Marco Fabbri, Gabriele Mirabassi, Marco Cambri, Carlo Pestelli, Bianca Giovannini, Kathreen Tufano, Federico Sirianni, Piero Ponzo, La Rosa Tatuata, Red Wine, Echo Art, Yoyo Mundi and Cadira, Machine Avant.

Besides the G/C three row melodeon, Filippo also plays the B/C accordion (irish system). His main Celtic music project is the band Careelon, with Daniele Bicego (uillean pipes), Ivan Berto (bodhran) and Claudio de Angeli (acoustic guitar); Filippo also performs with the Irish wooden flute player Nuala Kennedy.

He has performed with her band in Lorient, France (Festival Interceltique), Belfast, UK (Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival), Cuneo, Italy (Festival Culture dal mondo), Blas Festival (Invergordon, Inverness).

He has played in Belgium, Luxembourg and France with the band Valerio, with Jean Michel Veillon, Julien Biget and Kieran Fahy. Liguriani is a project based on traditional northern Italian folk music rearranged with celtic groovy flavours and colours of french manouche and musette. The band collaborates with the actor Mauro Pirovano, with whom they have created four thematic pieces of musical theatre. The band toured Northern Italy extensively and partecipated to the MITO Festival (Milan and Turin) and to Tolo The Asturies (Spain).

Filippo teaches accordion both privately and in workshops. Instruction covers in-depth explorations of various melodeon styles and techniques, including Irish music phrasing, polirythmical exercices, latin and brasilian music grooves, exercises on keys etc. The lessons focus on the right and left hand, how to play expressively, with bounce and imagination.

He has taught in Italy and abroad: Sentieri Acustici (Maresca, PT – 2 editions), Borzée (Belgium), Suoni e Passi della tradizione (Acquapendente Italy – 2 editions), Stage de musique acoustique (Virton, Belgio), Stage Artson (Antey S.André, Italy), Stage AKDT (Neufchateau, Belgium), 'T smiske (Belgium), Stage CDMDT 05 (Le Puy en Velais, France), Tolo de Asturias (Langero, Spain).