Second Prime is the songwriter duo Valerio Cugia & Itie Beentjer who have made their musical debut in 2010 with the CD Gold Over Ice. 

Valerio is Italian with an American education (his mother was  American) and by profession a painter. Ever since youth he has loved music and singing while recently his interest in literature has brought him to write his first short stories.

Itie works in Health Care Administration; her keen interest for music started at a very young age learning to play flute - a variety of instruments followed in adulthood, all learned by ear. Her musical inclination has brought her to write many songs for the rock and pop band “The Main Dish” and to direct a choir. Together with a good friend she founded the singer-songwriter duo “The Sweeties”. Later on she developt an interest in classical music and played together with a cellist in the duo Women’s Own, where she wrote pieces for piano, cello or violin.

Since the ‘60s both Valerio and Itie have been great fans of The Beatles and their music. Having met as neighbours in Groningen and discovered this common musical background, the idea was born to write a song together. For the lyrics Valerio thought of a theme close to his work: the Café Vaatstra, a charming cafè which he had painted some time before. Itie found the words moving and composed the musical and melodical lines. Their first song, Café Vaatstra, had seen the light. Happy with the result a second text followed, Gold Over Ice, a nostalgic memory of a writer friend now living in Canada. Again Itie found the words particularly appealing as later Valerio did the music. Other songs came, not all in the ballad form, to prove the strength and versatility of this newly formed songwriter duo.

Being both over 50 they share many common views and understandings on life.
This has resulted in pieces with communicative power never forgetting, however, that humour and irony make life joyful and light. Their individual creative strengths are perfectly complementary though they regularly give suggestions to each other.

Their first record Gold Over Ice is a collection of 12 songs ranging from ballads to rock & roll; in this project a dozen musicians have helped them to perform and record. In most of the pieces Valerio sings the melodic line while Itie sings the second vocal theme. Itie has arranged all the pieces and plays the piano, organ, ukelele and various electric and acoustic guitars.

Second Prime plans to continue making songs for their pleasure and that of their listeners and prove that creativity is not only of the young but rather that true youth is an attitude of the spirit.

>>> read more about the project 'Gold over Ice'