Exclusive Interview: Leonardo Barilaro The Space Pianist Behind Zero Gravity Note One

Few artists push the boundaries of music and science the way Dr Leonardo Barilaro does. Known internationally as The Space Pianist, he has devoted his career to merging aerospace engineering with emotional, highly visual piano compositions. His newly released three track EP Zero Gravity Note One stands as his most daring achievement yet, marking the first EP ever recorded during a parabolic flight.

The project was created aboard a modified Cessna 182 and executed in collaboration with G0 Flight, a team specializing in parabolic research led by Prof Alessandro Barazzetti. In this flying laboratory Barilaro performed on a ROLI Piano M while being subjected to shifting phases of hypergravity and complete weightlessness. The flight reached 5000 feet and transformed the aircraft into an environment where physics, human perception, and artistic instinct collided.

Zero Gravity Note One is as much an experiment as it is an expressive work. The opening track Star Wars zero g piano is an audacious tribute that feels as if the melody is being pulled into orbit. SCRAT zero g pays homage to Barilaro’s early aerospace work and carries an energetic momentum rooted in his first real mission into the stratosphere. The closing piece Note One stands as the emotional core of the EP, capturing a spontaneous improvisation born directly from the sensations of microgravity. Taken together these three pieces form a bold statement about how creativity evolves when detached from Earth’s most fundamental physical force.

With his compositions previously streamed from the International Space Station and an ambition to perform the first piano concert in space Barilaro’s mission extends far beyond traditional musical expression. Zero Gravity Note One is not just a release but a milestone on a larger path toward redefining Space Art for the next generation.

Below is our exclusive conversation with Dr Leonardo Barilaro about the creation of this historic EP the science behind the music and the journey ahead.

Interview with Dr Leonardo Barilaro

Zero Gravity, Note One captures the first EP ever recorded during a parabolic flight. What was the emotional and artistic experience of performing music without gravity? Did it feel liberating, disorienting, or something entirely new?

Leonardo: This experience was a ‘flying laboratory’ where the environment actively deceived my senses. Without the reference of gravity, my fingers and wrists had to adapt instantly to a new reality. It felt like the very beginning of a new language, a first step toward understanding how we can bring human emotion into the unusual and extreme conditions of space.

You’ve often spoken about merging science and art into a unified practice. How did your dual identity as composer and aerospace engineer shape the creative direction of this EP?

Leonardo: This project is a perfect example of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) in action. As an engineer, I had to analyze technical challenges, such as keeping the ROLI keyboard stable under variable G-forces. As a composer, I had to let go and interpret those forces emotionally. I wanted to use this flight as a study of creativity in microgravity. It required the precision of a scientist to execute the flight profile and the heart of an artist to capture the emotion of that weightless moment.

Star Wars (zero-g piano) was performed under shifting G-forces. What drew you to reimagine such an iconic theme in an entirely new physical environment, and how did the absence of gravity alter your interpretation of the music?

Leonardo: Star Wars is a high-flying tribute to the saga that inspired so many of us. Performing it was a physical test, the flight profile involves shifting between hypergravity (approx. 2.0 g) and weightlessness. The absence of gravity forced me to abandon traditional technique, it transformed a familiar melody into a little study of human adaptation.

SCRAT revisits your early space-inspired experiment from 2010. What does it mean to you to return to that moment now, and how has your artistic vision evolved since your first “real” mission into the stratosphere?

Leonardo: This composition is at the roots of my ‘Space Art’ journey. Re-recording SCRAT in actual zero gravity represents the maturity of that dream. There is no need for the inverted commas in the question. It was an actual experiment tested at the doorstep of Space and I was part of the Team. The SCRAT (Spherical Compact Rechargeable Air Thruster) experiment, part of the ESA-supported REXUS/BEXUS program, developed and tested a novel cold gas thruster that uses atmospheric air as propellant, collecting it via micro-compressors and expelling it for precise, low-thrust maneuvers needed for future airships on other planets, eliminating the need for onboard fuel. This rechargeable system was successfully flown on a stratospheric balloon in 2010, launched from the ESRANGE Space base in Kiruna (Sweden), demonstrating the ability to collect and use ambient air for propulsion in the upper atmosphere. Besides my technical role, I also created the soundtrack for this project. In this Space Era, it is no longer just about the technology of getting there, but about the culture we will bring with us.

Note One is described as pure improvisation, capturing your immediate physiological and emotional responses during the flight. What did you discover about yourself as a musician — or as a human being — in that moment of weightlessness?

Leonardo: I posed a philosophical question: “Does our physical experience shape our art?”. Note One is the first draft answer. In those seconds of microgravity, I found that my musical intuition had to disconnect from physical weight. It is the first entry in a logbook documenting how I will eventually play music in Space looking at our planet Earth.

You’ve sent compositions to space three times, including music streamed from the ISS. How does Zero Gravity, Note One fit into your broader journey toward Space Art, and how does it push that mission forward?

Leonardo: My previous missions, like ASTROBEAT onboard the International Space Station, were about transmission from Space to Earth. Zero Gravity, Note One is about presence. It is the first concrete step to study how to physically play in extreme conditions. It moves the narrative from “sending music to space” to “creating music from space”, testing the instruments and the artist in the actual environment.

The project required a multidisciplinary team: pilot, space operations assistant, engineers, ground crew. How did this collaborative environment influence the outcome of the music, and what did it teach you about innovation outside traditional studio settings?

Leonardo: It showed me once again that real innovation flourishes where creativity and technical expertise unite. This collaboration with G0 Flight and my space operations assistant, Ozlem Basman Barilaro, was essential. We weren’t in a studio, we were in a Cessna 182 at 5,000 feet! The music is a result of that synergy, it required pilots, engineers, and an artist to come together.

You’ve said, “Big dreams don’t need billion-dollar budgets.” In a world dominated by large-scale space ventures, why is democratizing space exploration — artistically and scientifically — important to you?

Leonardo: We often think of Space as the domain only of superpowers and billionaires. If we are going to Mars, this is quite true. But this flight was a ‘small laboratory’ that proved we can gather fundamental data on human creativity with a smart, low-cost approach. It is important to show that imagination and courage are just as valuable as budget to start building big Dreams. Democratizing the access to Space allows for more rapid innovation and brings the public closer to the emotion of Space exploration.

Recording in microgravity introduces new physical challenges: finger control, concentration, sensory adaptation. What performance insights did you gain that could shape future compositions — or even influence how musicians train for space?

Leonardo: The primary insight is about stabilization. We analyzed how to keep the keyboard stable and how fingers react without gravity’s reference. I learned that Space Music will require a different kind of physical discipline, focusing on hand-eye coordination in an environment that actively deceives the senses. Future training won’t just be about scales, it will be about controlling the body’s momentum to interact with the instrument.

Looking ahead, your long-term vision is to perform the first piano concert in space — and eventually on Mars. After this EP, what practical or artistic steps are next on the journey, and what do you imagine the first “true” space music will sound like?

Leonardo: This was my first step. The next steps involve analyzing the data to refine the instrumentation and technique for longer durations of microgravity. I imagine true Space music will unlock a new form of expression, free from the grounding sensations of Earth. Art will be shaped by the environment, as it always happens.

Closing Summary

Zero Gravity Note One is more than an EP. It is a landmark moment where human creativity reaches beyond the pull of Earth and begins shaping a new artistic frontier. With each piece recorded in genuine microgravity Leonardo Barilaro proves that music can evolve in ways we have not yet imagined. This release marks the start of an era where musicians do not only perform about space but within it.

As The Space Pianist continues his mission the dream of the first piano concert in orbit feels closer than ever.

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