Romolo Balzani, flute – conducting

Romolo Balzani studied the flute under Maestro Angelo Persichilli at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, graduating with distinction and the Diploma Accademico – II Livello. He subsequently attended advanced courses for soloists held by Angelo Persichilli, James Galway, Maxence Larrieu, Peter-Lukas Graf, as well as that of Severino Gazzelloni at the Chigiana Academy in Siena, where he was awarded the Diploma d’Onore. He is widely acclaimed as a soloist both in Italy and abroad, performing in numerous important festivals such as the ‘W.A. Mozart’ International Festival in Rovereto, the Estate Musicale Sorrentina, the Severino Gazzelloni International Festival, the ‘Amici della Musica’ concert series in Novara, and the concert series at Rome’s Oratorio del Gonfalone. He has also performed in venues such as the Accademia Chigiana, the Arena in Verona, the Accademia Chigiana, the Arena di Verona, Rome’s ‘Parco della Musica’ Auditorium and in the Concert Hall in Copenhagen.

He has won many important competitions in Italy, such as the “Città di Castello” award, the “Francesco Cilea” prize (Palmi), “V. Galilei” award (Florence), the “Riccardo Thau” award, (Rome), the “Città di Ercolano” award, the “G. B. Ansaldi” award (Mondovi’), where he received n award from the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and also the Poggio Mirteto prize. He has performed for Italian Television (RAI TV), RCA, EDI PAN, and in duo with Domenico Ascione, guitar, for the Accademia Italiana del Flauto as part of its yearly ‘Flautissimo’ concert series in Rome, and for ‘La Bottega Discantica’ in Milan.

In addition to his activities as soloist, Romolo Balzani also performs regularly as principal flute with important Italian orchestras such as the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Milan, the Orchestra Filarmonica of San Remo, the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese (under the batons of Salvatore Accardo and Riccardo Muti), and the Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice, Venice, with which he went on tour to the United Arab Emirates in 2009, performing at the Emirates Palace Auditorium in Abu Dhabi. In 1998 he obtained the position of principal flute in the Orchestra Regionale del Lazio, a role which he occupied until 2008, performing both as soloist and conductor. He has also performed with Rome’s Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera, and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Santa Cecilia, with which he toured Australia, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, England, Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, Germany and Spain, with renowned conductors such as Giulini, Pretre, Sawallish, Sinopoli, Sanderling, Chung, Thielemann, Abbado, Gatti, Temirkanow, and Giergiev.

He regularly holds specialisation courses in a number of Italian music conservatories. In 2012 and 2013 he was invited to hold masterclasses at the Royal Irish Acadmy of Music in Dublin.

He is currently professor of flute at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica ‘Nicola Sala’ in Benevento.