Marcello Bonanno was born in Erice (Sicily) and studied first in Palermo at the Conservatory “Vincenzo Bellini” where he took his Piano, Composition and Orchestral Conducting diplomas. He then studied in Milan under Bruno Canino and at the Teatro alla Scala Academy. He also attended piano master-classes with Aldo Ciccolini, Giuseppe La Licata, Sviatslav Shlakta, Claudius Tanski and sat in at Orchestra Conduction lessons at the Chigiana Academy of Siena.

In November 2022 he premiered his production named "Oggetto (a) [Object petit a] - unlived love in Puccini, Wagner, Strauß, Szymanowski" with the Marcello Bonanno Ensemble (Marcello Bonanno, Eloisa Manera, Martina Rudic, Francesca Naibo, Mario Ciaccio) at the "I maestri del Martini", the concert festival held by the teachers of the Conservatory "G.B. Martini" of Bologna.

For the clarinetist Francesco Paolo Scola he has composed the Concerto "In quella parte del libro della mia memoria", performed in Belfast in 2021 by Francesco and the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Michael Collins and broadcasted at BBC Radio3.

For Davide Bandieri (Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne) has composed and recorded playing together with him the duo “Spettri” (over Beethoven's “Ghosts” trio). Together with Calogero Palermo (Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam) and Giovanni Sollima he recorded in trio the soundtrack of “Il Bell’Antonio” for the RAI.

Eclectic and versatile also as a performer, in his concerts Marcello Bonanno mixes a variety of repertoires together with personal compositions. He has played in duo with cellist Giovanni Sollima, executing both their own compositions and pieces by Beethoven, Boccherini, Costanzi, Nirvana, Hendrix and more; performed Vivaldi’s “Four seasons” on the harpsichord together with the concertmaster of the La Scala Theatre Orchestra Francesco De Angelis; played in jazz bands with symphonic orchestra, took part in “World Music” bands playing in several places of the European world music circuits (Berlin, Paris, Berne, Geneva, Florence and more).

Marcello has also played and conducted and has had work performed at a number of events and organizations, such as the Eesti Muusika-ja Teatriakadeemia, Tallinn, Estonia, Conservatory of Mainz, Puccini Festival, the Spoleto’s Festival dei Due Mondi, MITO Settembre Musica Milano, Associazione Musicale Lucchese, Amici della Musica di Cagliari, Casa della Musica di Parma, Festival Taormina Arte,  Festival Oriente Occidente, Fondazione per la Musica Jazz The Brass Group di Palermo, PianoCity Milano, Circolo Lirico Bolognese, Ente Luglio Musicale Trapanese, Amici della Musica di Caltanissetta, Balarm Saxophone Festival,  etc.  He has played in the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana and in the Bologna Opera House Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has been a rehearsal pianist for some Deutsche Grammophon recordings with Placido Domingo and the Wiener Philharmoniker at Musikverein in Vienna, as well as with the Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor at the Manzoni Auditorium in Bologna and the Minnesota University at Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (USA).

He is published by Edizioni Curci, Milano; Periferia Sheet Music, Barcelona (Spain); Almendra, Palermo (Italy). He has recorded for Verso, Deja Vu Records and Rai Trade. With Almendra Music he released his piano solo CD "Cycles" and the cello solo piece "Variationes super Ave Maris Stella" inclused in Giovanni Sollima's CD "Sonate di terra e di mare".

He is Full time Professor of "Score Reading" at the Milan Conservatory. Previously he was a teacher at the conservatory of Bologna.

He lives in Milan. He is married to Chiara, a psychologist, and they have two kids, Lorenzo and Beatrice.