Claudio began his musical career at a young age and graduated from the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Italy with high honors studying with Bruno Giuranna, Alfonso Ghedin and Dino Asciolla. He then became the Principal Viola in the most important Italian orchestras, including the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, and Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Muti, Carlo Maria Giulini and Giuseppe Sinopoli. As an accomplished classical musician, Claudio has also performed with chamber music ensembles such as I Musici, I Virtuosi di Roma, Complesso da camera di Santa Cecilia, Orchestra da camera di Santa Cecilia, and Quartetto Filarmonico di Roma and has toured such music theatres as the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and the Mozarteum University of Salzburg along with soloists such as Mstislav Rostropovich and Uto Ughi and others. In Italy, he has also taught at the Conservatorio di Roma, Pescara and Terni.