Gian Michele Montanaro is one of the greatest experts of Italian tambourine.
He has a deep knowledge of Center and South Italy rhythmic/melodic music styles. While studying music theory and technique, he has experienced “live”, during many traditional feasts and folk music carnivals: here he was able to meet the real representatives of traditional musical culture and to learn from them everything they could teach him. Thanks to all these factors, he was able to develop a unique performing technique, that is now being studied and integrated from other drummers. In his technique both tambourine and his thousand-years history are adapted to fit new cultures and new music kinds and their many rhythmic choices. As an exclusive aspect of his musical personality, he can be defined as the first and main freestyler on Italian frame drums (inserting acrobatic features on his technique).
Founder and member of the Board of Directors of the "Italian Society for Frame Drums" the first Italian Association of Social Promotion specialized in frame drums, creator and art director of the "Meeting Internazionale del Tamburello" the first major national cultural event about frame drums and "Responsible for the management of cultural events and for building integrated local networks" recognised by the province of Rome, has collaborated with the most important national  representatives in the field of traditional music and folk revival.