Ricky Lionardi

Ricky Lionardi’s story is kinda wild, honestly. Dude kicked off his music career early, juggling arranger, composer, and producer hats like it’s no big deal. He went all in at Berklee College of Music, double majoring in Jazz Composition and Guitar Performance, and even graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2003—total overachiever vibes. Right after, he bounced back to Indonesia and landed his first big break working on Maliq & d’Essentials’ debut album in 2005, which, let’s be real, was a game changer. Since then, Ricky’s been everywhere—film scoring, producing albums, whipping up song arrangements, you name it. He’s got his own jazz orchestra and leads Ceora Jazz Entertainment. Plus, his gigs as music director, orchestrator, and conductor have pretty much cemented his reputation as one of Indonesia’s rising stars in composition and arrangement. His first movie score was for 6:30 in 2007, and after that, he basically moved into the film world for good. By 2019, he’d already worked on soundtracks for over 50 films. That’s not exactly beginner stats. In 2014, his 50-piece orchestra backed up a who’s-who of Indonesian music for the Indonesian Film Festival live shows. Two years later, his chamber orchestra played for the theater production ‘Bunga Penutup Abad’—so, yeah, he’s got range. Ricky’s even rubbed elbows with legends like Al Schmitt and Ron McMaster. In 2018, he dropped his first single, ‘Sabda Alam,’ kicking off his Senandung Indonesia project—breathing new life into classic Indonesian hits with a jazz twist, alongside some of the country’s best singers. The full album and songbook? Still cooking.