“My father was a big Pat Metheny fan – hearing him started to make me obsessed with the idea of playing music”: Berklee-educated and endorsed by Strandberg, meet Camilla Sperati – the fusion phenom hand-picked to open for Steve Vai

(Image credit: Ilaria Toscano)

Italian guitarist Camilla Sperati has been building a serious rep as a major new force in the rarified world of fusion.

Taking her influences from the likes of Frank Gambale, Guthrie Govan, and Scott Henderson’s work with Tribal Tech, Sperati – who lives in Rome – has spent time at Berklee College of Music in Boston, opened up for Steve Vai, bagged an artist endorsement deal with Strandberg, and self-released a mini album, Moonrise, with a full-length outing on the way this year.

Her smooth, mellow tone and updated take on the classic sounds of the fusion era have earned her a constantly growing following on social media platforms.

We recently threw five questions her way.

What inspired you to start playing?

“My parents were not musical. They were alt-rock fans, actually, but my father was also a big Pat Metheny fan, so hearing his music started to make me obsessed with the idea of playing music. I heard someone playing a guitar in person, and that was really what set the seal on my need to play.

“In fact, when I got a guitar at 11 years old, it came fairly easily for me. My first guitar was a Stratocaster, which was a great way to kick things off. When I was 16, I moved on to a Music Man John Petrucci model, which seemed to suit the kind of fusion music I was starting to play.”

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Camilla Sperati – Surfers (Music Video) – YouTube

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You won a summer scholarship to Berklee in 2017. What was that like?

I play through a Kemper Profiler – I really like digital amps. I did try some real amplifiers, but I didn’t find anything I liked until I got the Kemper in 2016

“I had to study and prepare for the audition. I was really getting into fusion at that time, and I was working hard on my phrasing. I also had to show that I had good rhythm guitar chops. Of course, the experience of going there was really cool, as I studied with some really great professors and made some good friends.”

How did your deal with Strandberg come about?

“They contacted me in 2022, thanks to a fan who wrote to them and suggested they should check me out. I play the Classic Boden. I love their instruments; the guitar feels very different from any other guitar I’ve ever played, plus they look so cool and so modern. I use the neck pickup a lot.

“I play through a Kemper Profiler – I really like digital amps. I did try some real amplifiers, but I didn’t find anything I liked until I got the Kemper in 2016. I usually use the Marshall JVM setting. The only effects I use are reverb, delay, and compression.”

Camilla Sperati – Moonrise (Full EP Stream) – YouTube

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Are you able to make a living playing guitar?

“Yes, but that’s because I have a lot of students; teaching is my main source of income. I also play on some sessions, and I offer my playing on Fiverr for different projects. I get a lot of requests on there – sometimes it’s for a solo, but it can be for rhythm-guitar ideas as well. I do get some requests to add something that I don’t think is very good, which can be a challenge. [Laughs]”

What’s next for you?

“I have a new album, Amber, coming out later this year via Bandcamp. There’ll be a couple of singles coming out before it. There isn’t really much of a music scene here in Italy for fusion, which is sad. People are always telling me I need to move to America, but that’s easier said than done. I’d like to get a manager who could help me take things to the next level. That’s the plan at the moment.”

Moonrise is out now via BandCamp.This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

Mark is a freelance writer with particular expertise in the fields of ‘70s glam, punk, rockabilly and classic ‘50s rock and roll. He sings and plays guitar in his own musical project, Star Studded Sham, which has been described as sounding like the hits of T. Rex and Slade as played by Johnny Thunders. He had several indie hits with his band, Private Sector and has worked with a host of UK punk luminaries. Mark also presents themed radio shows for Generating Steam Heat. He has just completed his first novel, The Bulletproof Truth, and is currently working on the sequel.