Orchestra Il Contrappunto, Fabrizio Meloni & Claudio Cohen
Biography Orchestra Il Contrappunto, Fabrizio Meloni & Claudio Cohen
The Il Contrappunto Association
was founded in Empoli in 2021 with the aim of promoting musical culture through its orchestra’s live performances, combining artistic excellence with a commitment to social causes. Alongside its concert productions, the Association pursues a clear mission of inclusion: raising public awareness regarding disability and fostering a culture of accessibility and participation through music.
The Il Contrappunto Orchestra is led by Maestro Damiano Tognetti—President, Artistic Director, violinist, and conductor of international standing—and Maestro Andrea Mura—Vice President, Music Director, composer, and conductor deeply committed to inclusion and cultural accessibility. Under their guidance, the orchestra has staged symphonic, chamber, and operatic productions, as well as thematic series and collaborative projects, steadily solidifying the Association’s presence within the Tuscan and national cultural landscape.
Its repertoire spans from the Baroque to the contemporary, featuring composers such as Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Piazzolla, and Galliano. From opera and sacred music to jazz, film scores, and tributes to iconic artists, this stylistic breadth allows the orchestra to engage diverse audiences while maintaining high performance standards and a cohesive identity. This journey has resulted in a solid, professional orchestral ensemble, enriched by collaborations with internationally renowned soloists and increasingly recognized beyond the local area.
Today, the Association is a well-established musical entity in Empoli, valued for the quality of its artistic programming and its inclusive mission. Over the years, it has engaged hundreds of young musicians working alongside experienced orchestral professionals—a model that fosters the transfer of skills, supports the professional growth of new generations, and ensures the stability of the orchestra’s lineup. Collaborations have been established with Italian and European musical organizations—including the Ferruccio Busoni Music Study Center in Empoli and the Association Music’Arte in France—alongside artistic partnerships with the Sanremo Symphony Orchestra, the Florentine Chamber Orchestra, the City of Grosseto Symphony Orchestra, the Toscana Classica Orchestra, and the ICO Suoni del Sud Orchestra.
There have been numerous collaborations with internationally acclaimed conductors and soloists, such as Adrian Sylveen, Miriam Němcová, Giancarlo De Lorenzo, Alessandro Bartolozzi, Hyeju Jung, Massimiliano Caldi, Giuseppe Lanzetta, Giuseppe Gibboni, Daria Nechaeva, Congyu Wang, Marco Vincenzi, Francesco Cipolletta, Giuseppe Andaloro, Eliot Fisk, Fabrizio Meloni, Fabio Furia, and Antonio Di Cristofano.
Today, Il Contrappunto stands as a permanent cultural institution capable of combining artistic excellence, education, and inclusion, thereby generating cultural and social value for the local community.
