Pepi Morgia

Gian Luigi Maria Morgia of the counts of Francavilla (Genoa, 11 September 1950 - Genoa, 19 September 2011), known by the pseudonym Pepi Morgia, sometimes referred to as Pepimorgia, was an Italian director and light designer. He grew up in Genoa, the city where he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in scenography. He began his professional activity in 1970, first as a lighting technician and later as a director; enters the musical world in 1973, starting from 1975 he is the director and lighting technician of all the tours carried out by Fabrizio de André (his friend of him, whom he called Morgia with the nicknames anarcho-monarchist prince, Capitan Fracassa and Corsaro Black). Also in 1975 he was one of the founders, in Genoa, of the Teatro della Tosse (which, after twenty years of activity, won the Ubu Special Prize for research activity.). In addition to De André, he has worked with many other great names in Italian and foreign pop music, following tours and theatrical performances as a director; among the many we remember Mireille Mathieu, Elton John, David Bowie, Roxy Music, Genesis. In 1992 he was appointed Ambassador of the Principality of Seborga to Rome. The following year he directed Zucchero's world tour, while in 1994 Adriano Celentano returned to the stage. In Turin he took care, in 1996, of the lighting of the Holy Shroud, in the Turin Cathedral, on the occasion of the exposition of that year. Over the years he has worked for the Seville Expo in 1992, for the Lisbon Expo in 1998 and for the Hanover Expo in 2000. In 2004 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Municipality of Sanremo [10], and in that veste follows all subsequent editions of the Sanremo Festival. In February 2007, Lucio Dalla and Ron return to the scene together, in a show accompanied by a string orchestra, the violinist Lino Cannavacciuolo and the mime and dance company Kataklò. In 2010 he took care of the preparation of the Sanremo story exhibition. 60 years of Italian music, on the History of the Sanremo Festival, an exhibition that is also presented in Israel and Russia. He died on the morning of September 19, 2011 at the age of 61.