Nicola Mazzanti
Nicola Mazzanti served as Solo Piccolo of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra from 1988 until 2020. Many composers have written works for him, including pieces for piccolo and piano as well as concertos with orchestra. His name is associated with numerous world premieres. As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras such as the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra, I Pomeriggi Musicali, the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the Florence Symphony Orchestra and Akronos of Prato.
Mr. Mazzanti performs frequently as both a flute and piccolo soloist, as well as in chamber ensembles, in Italy and abroad.
As a strong advocate for the piccolo as a solo instrument, he has appeared at flute festivals and conventions throughout the world. Sir James Galway has invited him to perform at his masterclasses in Weggis every year since 2008.
Since 2001, he has held annual piccolo courses at the MusicArea Association in Florence and at the Italian Flute Academy in Rome.
Since 2009, he has taught piccolo at the Hochschule in Lucerne; since 2011 at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana; and since 2013 at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi di Milano. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses for flute associations and music schools in Italy and abroad. He has released several solo CDs, and his website has become a reference point for dedicated piccolo players. His books, The Mazzanti Method Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 for piccolo, published in 2014 and 2024 by Theodore Presser Company, have been recognized as important milestones in piccolo pedagogy.
He is the Artistic Director of the International Piccolo Festival and the International Piccolo Flute Academy. Mr. Mazzanti graduated in 1982 from the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory, where he studied with Sergio Giambi. He later attended lessons and masterclasses with Sir James Galway, Aurèle Nicolet, Raymond Guiot, Emmanuel Pahud and Mario Ancillotti. In 1986, he earned an additional degree with honors in Music History from D.A.M.S. (University of Arts and Music).