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Born in 1987, Michele Bianchini graduated with honors from the Conservatory of Perugia under the guidance of Roberto Todini, receiving an excellence scholarship as the best graduate of 2009.
He then continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki with Pekka Savijoki and attended master classes with internationally renowned saxophonists such as Eugene Rousseau, Claude Delangle, Jean-Marie Londeix and Federico Mondelci.
He also deepened his knowledge of the contemporary and electroacoustic repertoire under the guidance of Gianpaolo Antongirolami.
An artist with a vast and demanding repertoire, Michele leads an intense concert career, performing both as a soloist and within chamber music ensembles.
His musical universe encompasses works of the 20th century and, in particular, a wide range of contemporary creations.
He has performed at many prestigious festivals and for important musical associations in Italy:
➤ Milano Musica
➤ Ravenna Festival
➤ Nuova Consonanza
➤ L'Aquila Contemporanea
➤ Amici della Musica di Modena
➤ Amici della Musica di Perugia
➤ Forlì Open Music
➤ Germi Festival (Rome)
➤ New Musical Spaces Festival (Ascoli Piceno)
As well as abroad:
➤ New York University and Symphony Space Hall (New York)
➤ Megaron (Athens)
➤ Eastman School of Music (Rochester, USA)
➤ Potsdam Musik Fabrik (Germany)
➤ Hartford University (USA)
➤ Colorado College (USA)
➤ Perm International Festival of Contemporary Music (Russia)
➤ Moscow Philharmonic and Moscow Conservatory
➤ Potsdam Intersonanzen Festival (Germany)
➤ 17th and 18th World Saxophone Congress (Strasbourg 2015 & Zagreb 2018)
A committed interpreter of contemporary creation
Michele Bianchini is a dedicated performer of the contemporary saxophone repertoire, working closely with many Italian and international composers. Numerous new works have been written for him by authors such as Salvatore Sciarrino, Nicolas Tzortzis, Raphaël Cendo, Alexey Khubeev, Giovanni Colombo Taccani, Ivan Fedele, Stefano Scodanibbio, Alessandro Gentile, Thanasis Papatrechas, Luca Gregoretti, Francesco De Rossi Re and Wei-Chieh Lin. He has also collaborated with Franck Bedrossian, Mark Andre and Salvatore Sciarrino.
Keen to explore all the expressive possibilities of the saxophone, he pays particular attention to electronic music, integrating live electronics into his performances.
Ensembles and artistic projects
Michele is a member of the Suono Giallo Ensemble (flute, saxophone, double bass, piano and percussion) and executive director of the ilSUONO Contemporary Music Week, a week dedicated to contemporary music that combines master classes and concerts.
Since 2016, the event has hosted world-renowned composers such as Francesco Filidei, Simone Movio, Nicolas Tzortzis, Franck Bedrossian, Yan Maresz, Georges Spiropoulos, Chaya Czernowin and Rolf Steiger.
He is also a founding member of the Freem Saxophone Quartet alongside Iacopo Sammartano, Riccardo Guazzini and Fabio Lombrici, an ensemble active in promoting the classical and minimalist repertoire.
In parallel, he founded the Sidera Saxophone Quartet with Gianpaolo Antongirolami, Michele Selva and Daniele Berdini, a quartet mainly dedicated to the contemporary and electroacoustic repertoire.
Teaching and discography
Invited to give seminars on extended techniques and the contemporary repertoire, Michele has lectured at the Ionian University of Corfu, the A. Buzzolla Conservatory of Adria, the G. Rossini Conservatory of Pesaro and the G.B. Pergolesi Conservatory of Fermo.
His discography reflects his commitment to musical creation:
➤ In 2019, the release of Grido (Ars Publica label), his first solo album, bringing together new works written especially for him.
➤ Also in 2019, the release of Minimal Sax (Brilliant Classics label), an album devoted to the minimalist repertoire for saxophone quartet, featuring works by Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman and Michael Torke.
➤ With the Nyky Trio, he recorded …à bout de souffle… (A Simple Lunch Records), an album featuring works by contemporary Italian composers, several of which were dedicated to him.
➤ For the same label, he collaborated with the Suono Giallo Ensemble on a project paying tribute to Alberto Burri on the occasion of his centenary.
His performances have also been published by MAP Editions, ICIA and NAVONA Records, confirming his place among the leading performers of contemporary saxophone music.
