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He comes from the city of Catania, and began his musical studies in his home town under Emilia Miozzi, continuing on to the “San Pietro a Majella” Music College in Naples, where he graduated with Honours under the tutelage of Luisa De Robertis, who was a pupil of Vincenzo Vitale. He began performing at an early age, both in Italian cities and abroad, both as a soloist and as member of a chamber orchestra.  He has won several national music competitions and has made recordings for the RAI. He has also taken part in masterclasses, as piano accompanist, with some great musicians such as Vadim Pavlov, Sergej Kritschenko, Conrad Klemm, Mario Ancillotti, Calogero Palermo, Andrea Lucchi, Enrico Maria Baroni, Alina Company, Giuliano Carmignola, Franco Mezzena and Renato Zanettovich. He is regularly invited by Taormina Arte to take part in the Giuseppe Sinopoli Festival as a member of the Sinopoli Chamber Orchestra, with whom, in October 2007, he performed music by F. Pennisi and R. Mann at the Venice Biennale for the 51st Festival of Contemporary Music, which was recorded for Rairadiotre.  In June 2007, he played in a concert with the “A. Corelli” Symphony Orchestra from the Music College in Messina, conducted by Ennio Morricone, for the Taormina Film Festival, which was filmed for the RAI. In October 2008, the Giuseppe Sinopoli Festival was dedicated to the Sicilian composer A. Clementi, also from Catania, and with the Sinopoli Chamber Orchestra, Maestro Averna performed several pieces for the Festival.

From academic year 2016/2017 to this day he holds the position of Director of the Conservatory of Music "A. Corelli” in Messina where he teaches piano practice and reading.