Sergio Azzolini (born 1967, in

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

) is an Italian

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

ist and music conductor.

Early life

Azzolini was born in

, Italy in 1967 and learned bassoon after his mother suggested being a musician would provide a long term job for him. He studied from 1978 to 1985 at Conservatorio Claudio Monteverdi in Bolzano with Romano Santi and then at

Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media (, abbreviated to HMTMH) is a university of performing arts and media in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Dating to , it has reorganised and changed names as it developed over the years, ...

, under Klaus Thunemann, with whom he studied until 1989. At this time, he was already a soloist in the

European Union Youth Orchestra The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) is a youth orchestra with members drawn from the 27 members states of the European Union. Since its foundation in 1976, it has connected music colleges and the professional music world for generations ...

Career

Azzolini has won awards at "

Prague Spring The Prague Spring (; ) was a period of liberalization, political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected Secretary (title), First Secre ...

", "C.M. von Weber" Competition and "ARD Münich". He has recorded many productions of

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

and soloistic performances for

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

records,

Naïve Naivety (also spelled naïvety), naiveness, or naïveté is the state of being naive. It refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism in favor of moral idealism. A ''naïve'' may ...

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

and Chandos. He also performs with his ensemble ''Il Proteo'' and is a member of ''Ma'alot Quintetts'', S''abine Meyer Bläserensemble'', ''

Maurice Bourgue Maurice Bourgue () (6 November 1939 – 6 October 2023) was a French oboist, composer, conductor, and academic teacher who made an international career. He was principal oboist with the Orchestre de Paris from its foundation in 1967 until 1979. ...

Trio'' and several ensembles of

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

on period instruments - ''Parnassi Musici, Sonatori della Gioiosa Marca, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Collegium 1704 and Ensemble Capriccio''. Azzolini regularly appears as a soloist on authentic historical bassoons with ensembles ''L'Aura Soave Cremona'', ''La Stravaganza Köln,'' ''Sonatori della Gioiosa Marca.'' He is working on recording all 39 of Vivaldi's bassoon concerti and has recorded four volumes of Vivaldi's bassoon concertos for the "Vivaldi Edition" of the French recording company

playing with ensembles ''L'Aura Soave Cremona'' and ''L'Onda Armonica.'' He was music professor at the Hochschule in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, and was professor of bassoon and chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel from 1998 until 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Azzolini, Sergio Italian classical bassoonists Italian classical musicians Italian male conductors (music) 1967 births Living people 21st-century Italian conductors (music) 21st-century Italian male musicians Musicians from Bolzano