Federico Mondelci & Marco Vanni

In the last 20 years, the Italian saxophonist Federico Mondelci has established himself as one of the leading saxophonists of his generation. His principal studies were at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica ‘G. Rossini’ in Italy and later with Jean-Marie Londeix at the Bordeaux Conservatoire, France. In 1981, he was awarded the ‘Premier Prix et Medaille d’Or a l’Unanimite.
Federico Mondelci has represented Italy on several occasions at the World Saxophone Congress and was president of the X World Saxophone Congress, Pesaro (Italy) 1992.
He made his prestigious career debut as a soloist with orchestra in 1982, on the occasion of the 7th World Saxophone Congress in Nuremberg, where he was strongly encouraged by Marcel Mule.
He then began an international career that saw him as a protagonist with over 50 symphony orchestras all over the world, including the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra at La Scala in Milan (under the direction of Seiji Ozawa performing the Rhapsody of Debussy) with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Bangkok Sypmphony, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Cairo Symphony Orchestra at the Cairo Opera House, the Yerevan Opera Theater with the Opera Theater Symphony Orchestra from Yerevan, to the Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, Georgia State Symphony Orchestra and with prestigious chamber orchestras including the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, I Virtuosi Italiani, the Moscow Soloists under the direction of Yuri Bashmet …..
Federico Mondelci was an active promoter of contemporary music and an innovator of instrumental technique. Numerous compositions have been dedicated to him that today are in the repertoire of saxophonists from all over the world, including Gate by Graham Fitkin, Four Pictures of New York by Roberto Molinelli, Signature by Henri Pousseur, Kya by Giacinto Scelsi, The Textures of a Labyrinth of Armando Gentilucci and another 180 new pieces including pieces for solo saxophone, duo, saxophone and piano, saxophone quartet, saxophone orchestra and Concertos for saxophone and orchestra that he performed as “premiere” in festivals and concert series around the world.
During his career he has worked alongside some of the greatest composers of the 20th century such as Philip Glass, Giya Kancheli, Luciano Berio, Giacinto Scelsi, Michael Nyman, Franco Donatoni, Henri Pousseur, Luigi Nono, Salvatore Sciarrino, Armando Gentilucci, Graham Fitkin, Nicola Piovani and many other composers of the new generation.
His recording of “Kya” by Giacinto Scelsi, was awarded with the “Diapason d’Or” and a CD for RCA included music written for him by Italian composers.
His recordings also include the Chandos and Delos labels.
In 2006, Mondelci presented the world premiere of the Concerto for saxophone and orchestra by New Zealand composer John Psathas.
The 2019-2020 concert tour includes Italy, France, Austria, Armenia, Israel, Russia, the United States, Egypt, China.
He is Saxophone professor at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro since 1981, he is a member and founder of the Italian Saxophone Quartet and director of the Italian Saxophone Orchestra.
More info on the website www.federicomondelci.com
The videos of his performances (including Saxophone concertos as Ibert, Debussy, Milhaud, Glazunov, Psathas, Gerry Mulligan, Molinelli….are on Yotube at the Federico Mondelci page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN6HqduM4Lu6mAPatplgRw

Marco Vanni, a musician and composer, graduated in Saxophone from the L. Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, later graduating in Flute from the R. Franci Conservatory in Siena and in Jazz Music from the P. Mascagni Conservatory in Livorno with top honors. He has collaborated with the Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Orchestra della Fenice in Venice, and the O.R.T. under the direction of Riccardo Muti, Luciano Berio, Vinko Globokar, Timothy Brock, Nicola Piovani, Daniele Rustioni, and Zubin Mehta, with whom he has performed in numerous Italian and European theaters, as well as on Radio Tre and Rai Due. With various chamber music ensembles, he has performed in Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia, Portugal, and Dubai (United Arab Emirates). He has won numerous competitions, including the Astor Piazzolla Prize in Castelfidardo and the Kawai Trophy. Recordings: “Saexotango” and “One Life to Live” with The Saexophones quartet, “Saximo” and “The Adventure of Cartoon Sax” with the Steel Wind Quintet, “Four Reasons” with the Steel Wind Quartet, “Sazoavaz” by K. Kacheh for Tenor Sax and String Quartet, “Don Perlimplin” by B. Maderna (Tenor Sax and Bass Clarinet) conducted by M. Ceccanti. With the Sonora Junior Sax Orchestra, he has recorded “Sax in the City” and “In the Districts,” which feature seven of his compositions for sax orchestra, also performing as a soloist. As a composer, he has an extensive catalog of pieces for various chamber ensembles: sax quartet, sax ensemble, sax and piano, solo sax, soprano sax and string quintet, soundtracks for short films, “Pierino e il Lupo In Jazz” for seven instruments and narrator, and “If on a Winter’s Night…” for which he composed original music for quartet inspired by Italo Calvino’s book “If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler.” In the jazz field, he has performed at important events: Barga Jazz, Toscana Grey Cat, Veneto Jazz, Teatro e Era, and the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera, performing alongside important musicians such as Stefano Bollani, Andrea Tofanelli, Mauro Grossi, Franco Campioni, Nico Gori, and Riccardo Del Fra, both as a soloist and in larger formations up to the big band. Significant also are his collaborations in the pop music field with Stewart Copeland, Drusilla Foer, and Umberto Tozzi, with whom he participated in the tour “L’ultima notte rosa.” With the “Duo Reminescence” with Massimo Signorini on Accordion, he has performed numerous concerts in Italy and abroad, with a vast repertoire ranging from Baroque to ethnic music, and the recording of a contemporary music piece “Requiem File” by Giorgio Dalla Villa. For years, he has had an intense collaboration with the Guascone Theater as a Saxophonist, Clarinetist, Flautist, Composer, and Arranger. Numerous shows have seen their collaboration, with the longest-running being “Balcanikaos,” which has over a thousand performances and a CD. Marco Vanni’s musical activity is 360 degrees. It ranges from classical music to klezmer, from written music to improvisation, from jazz to avant-garde and contemporary music. Often in his concerts, he has also performed on the Bansuri Flute, Quena, Recorders, and Duduk. He regularly holds Saxophone Masterclasses for Festivals, Conservatories, and Erasmus collaborations. He has been a member of important international competitions: Rovere d’Oro in San Bartolomeo al Mare, Rospigliosi Competition in Lamporecchio, and My Favourite Sax in Empoli. He has been a Saxophone teacher at the D. Cimarosa Conservatory in Avellino and the B. Marcello Conservatory in Venice. He is currently a teacher at the P. Mascagni Conservatory in Livorno.