At the age of five, Accursio Antonio Cortese began studying music and the organ with his grandfather, D. Imbornone. At the V. Bellini Conservatory (now A. Scarlatti) in Palermo, he earned a Piano Diploma with O. Buogo and a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Composition with honours and special mention under M. Betta. He earned a Master's Degree in Composition with I. Fedele at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with top honors. He specialised in film music composition with L. Bacalov and opera with G. Battistelli, both at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. He studied conducting with C. Caruso, choral music and choral conducting with M. Ghiglione. He furthered his knowledge of jazz music by attending international seminars in Siena and at Roccella Jazz. He has a substantial catalogue of symphonic, chamber, sacred, operatic, and film compositions. His music has been performed in Italy, the USA, Argentina, Finland, Russia, Switzerland, France, and Romania, in prestigious venues. His music is published by: Suvini Zerboni – sugar music (Milan); Sconfinarte editions (Brescia); and Isuku Verlag (Munich).