Born in Parma, Italy in 1984, Andrea Merlo began his piano studies at the age of 10 with Giampiero Gallo. In 1997 he entered the “A. Boito” Conservatory of Parma, studying piano with Maria Luisa Franco and chamber music with Pierpaolo Maurizzi. In the summer of 2003, he completed his Liceo Classico (high school) state exams, and subsequently obtained his piano diploma in October 2004 with full marks summa cum laude.

On 23 December 1999, Merlo made his debut at the Teatro Comunale of Casalmaggiore in the Concerto dell’Estudiantina. After that moment he appeared as a soloist in Europe, Usa and Russia.
He has been a prize-winner in national and international competitions.

Merlo was accepted in the summer of 2004 into the class of Lee Kum-Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music in Canada, where he pursued the Artist Diploma Program. Since October 2007 he studies at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where he worked with Vera Gornostaeva, Ruvim Ostrovsky. Currently he studies under Valery Piassetski.

He regularly performs for the Music Association Dino Ciani and in 2011 he was awarded the Molinari Pradelli Prize.

In October 2011 he was invited to perform during the Contemporary Music Festival “Edison Denisov” in Tomsk, where he collaborated with the chamber music trio from Bashmet’s Moscow Soloists and he held a masterclass.

He is currently attending the Biennio Superiore in Venice Conservatory studying with Anna Barutti.