Marco Albonetti
One of Italy's leading concert saxophonist, Marco Albonetti is engaged in performing and teaching around the world. He has appeared at numerous international venues such as the Wiener Saal of Salzburg, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Gewandhaus of Leipzig, the Wits Great Hall of Johannesburg, the Palau de la Musica Catalana of Barcelona, the Teatro Espanol of Madrid, the Palau de la Musica of Valencia. His concert tours have taken place in Italy, France, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Cyprus, South Africa, Canada, China and the United States.

He regularly performs as soloist with Italian and international orchestras and takes part in many important international music festivals. He has been awarded first prize at several international music competitions and has recorded for RAI, SABC, PIK1, CBS, LTV Lumier, Cypriot Radio and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Marco holds diplomas from the Rossini Conservatory (Pesaro, Italy) and the Sommerakademie Mozarteum in Saltzburg, Austria, as well as a Master of Music degree (summa cum laude) from Bowling Green State University as student of Dr. John Sampen, and Doctor of Musical Arts (summa cum laude, Dean's Award of Excellence) at Michigan State University, where he studied classical saxophone performance under James Forger and Joseph Lulloff and jazz saxophone performance with Andrew Speight and Brandford Marsalis.

He is the Artistic Director of the Faenza International Saxophone Festival, Italy.

Marco Albonetti has been an instructor at international music schools and conservatories, holds a tenured position as Professor of Saxophone at the Conservatory of Music "N. Piccinni" in Bari, Italy and is external examiner and visiting artist for Doctoral Studies at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.

In 2006-2007, Albonetti was invited to conduct master classes at universities and conservatories in Europe, China and the United States, among which were the Universitat der Kunste, Berlin; the Sibelius Aketemia, St. Petersburg Conservatory; Hartt School of Hartford University; Ohio State University; Michigan State University; State University of New York Stony Brook; the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point; the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay. LawrenceUniversity; Xi'An Conservatory of Music; NanChangUniversity; Paralimni Municipal School, CyprusCollege of Music.

From 1997 to 2002, Albonetti taught in the USA as a Visiting Professor at Lawrence University, Bowling GreenState University and the Flint Institute of Performing Arts.

Frequently asked to participate as a member of the jury for international saxophone competitions, he was given an award of merit conferred by the North American Saxophone Alliance "for the extraordinary activity in advancing the status of classical saxophone around the world."

From 1998, he has been the Artistic Director of the Faenza International Saxophone Festival, a program of workshops, conferences, seminars, recitals and concerts that attract saxophone students and professionals from around the world.

Marco Albonetti has featured as a soloist with various ensembles and orchestras at prestigious venues around the world, frequently as guest-artist in the USA, his adopted country.

A gifted instrumentalist, Albonetti's refined and complex musical sensibilities, have enabled him to express himself in a heterogeneous repertory ranging from classical (which forms the foundations of his cannon) to contemporary (an area in which he has mastered the technique in execution) and even includes the new tango (a form in which he is currently engaged in advancing through diligent research and experimentation).