Sergio Cammariere (born November 15, 1960, in Crotone, Calabria) is an Italian pianist, composer, singer-songwriter, and arranger whose work brings together jazz, classical music, bossa nova, samba, and the Italian cantautore tradition. His music is defined by an expressive piano style, sophisticated harmonic writing, and a voice that moves between intimate lyricism and dramatic intensity.
Cammariere began composing for film in the early 1990s. His early soundtrack work included Pino Quartullo's Quando eravamo repressi, Claudio Fragasso's Teste Rasate, and Angelo Longoni's Uomini senza donne. He also wrote music for short films, establishing a lasting connection with cinema that would continue throughout his career.
In 1997, Cammariere appeared at the Premio Tenco, one of Italy's leading events for songwriting. He received the IMAIE award for Best Musician and Interpreter, a recognition that helped bring wider attention to his work. His early recordings were made in collaboration with lyricist Roberto Kunstler, with whom he developed one of the most important creative partnerships of his career. Their work first appeared under the name Kunstler-Cammariere and Stress Band on I ricordi e le persone, released in 1993.
Cammariere's breakthrough came with his first major solo album, Dalla pace del mare lontano, released in 2002. The record combined jazz-based arrangements with a strong Mediterranean and South American atmosphere, while Kunstler's lyrics gave the songs a literary dimension. The album received several awards, including the Targa Tenco for Best Debut Album. Its success intensified after Cammariere represented himself at the 2003 Sanremo Festival with Tutto quello che un uomo. The song finished in third place and won both the Critics Award and the award for Best Musical Composition. It also earned two platinum records.
His subsequent albums expanded the balance between song form and instrumental exploration. Sul sentiero appeared in 2004, followed by the more introspective Il pane, il vino e la visione in 2006. With Carovane in 2009 and the self-titled Sergio Cammariere in 2012, he continued to move between jazz, bossa nova, samba, Balkan rhythms, classical influences, and progressive elements. The 2014 album Mano nella mano and Io from 2016 further developed his mature songwriting style.
Cammariere has also remained active in theater and film. He composed the soundtrack for Mimmo Calopresti's L'Abbuffata and later contributed music to films and documentaries including Ritratto di mio padre, Tiberio Mitri - il campione e la miss, Maldamore, and Il banchiere anarchico. His theater work includes Teresa la ladra, based on the writing of Dacia Maraini, and later productions connected with L'altra Teresa.
His instrumental side became especially prominent with Piano in 2017 and Piano Nudo in 2021, albums centered on solo piano and modern jazz textures. In 2021 he also published the autobiographical book Libero nell'aria. The album Una sola giornata followed in 2023, again drawing on his partnership with Kunstler. In 2025, Cammariere released La pioggia che non cade mai, another collaboration with Kunstler that continued his fusion of Italian songwriting, jazz, and Latin influences. Over several decades, he has established a distinctive place in Italian music as both a refined pianist and an unusually versatile composer.