Italian composer Carlo Donida, born Carlo Donida Labati in Milan, trained at the Giuseppe Verdi conservatory there, studying both piano and composition. He began his musical career as a pianist for the group “The Dandies, then took a job with Casa Ricordi in the pop music section; he worked as an arranger but was more interested in composing. His first songs, in collaboration with Gian Carlo Testoni, were “Tell Me I Love You” and “Under the Almond Tree.” The latter was entered in the first Sanremo festival in 1951. Working with lyricist Pinchi (pseudonym for Giuseppe Perotti), he composed “Old Boot” and “Canzone da due soldi” both of which were international successes. In 1960 he began a long working relationship with Mogol (Giulio Rapetti) that resulted in 126 songs, many of which , including “Al di la” (Beyond), he presented in 12 appearances at Sanremo. His songs were covered by such artists as Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and Charles Aznavour. He also composed songs in the dialect of Milan, and created soundtracks for documentary and feature films, such as Rome Adventure, and for commercials. He formed the Compagnia di Donida with the goal of inspiring and supporting young artists, and founded the Premio Donida specifically for young composers.