Alfredo Vena

Alfredo Vena
Born in Cosenza (Italy), holds a Diploma in Clarinet (cum laude) from the Conservatory of Cosenza, a Master’s degree in Clarinet Teaching from the Conservatory of Vibo Valentia (Italy), a Bachelor of Music Performance (cum laude) from the University of Melbourne (Australia) and a Master in Music Performance from the Trinity College of Music in London (U.K.).

He has also studied at the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan, becoming a certified “Professore d’Orchestra”.
To date, Alfredo continues to carry out an intense concert activity both in chamber ensembles and in orchestras in Italy and abroad. He has performed in prestigious theatres and concert halls in an extensive number of countries such as Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Germany, Oman, Peru, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Syria and Thailand. Prestigious venues include the Musikverein in Vienna, the Royal Festival Hall in London, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the La Scala Theatre in Milan, the Auditorium Music Park in Rome. Alfredo has also participated in important national festivals, such as the Spoleto Festival Dei Due Mondi in Umbria; I Concerti della Cappella Paolina at the Quirinal Palace, the Italian President’s official residence in the capital city with the ContempoartEnsemble of Florence.
After winning several auditions for principal and second clarinet, as well as for e-flat and bass clarinet, Alfredo continues to actively collaborate with various renowned lyric-symphonic orchestras, including the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the Orchestra Regionale Toscana both based in Florence, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Lyric Theatre of Cagliari, the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, the Magna Grecia Orchestra of Taranto, the Regional Orchestra of Rome and Lazio, under the direction of famous conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Lu Jia, Lior Shambadal, Alexander Vedernikov, Wayne Marshall, Zubin Mehta, Gustavo Dudamel, Fabio Luisi, Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Muti and Riccardo Chailly.
In 2016, Alfredo participated in an important tour of South America (Quito, Lima, Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires), acting as principal clarinet with the Orchestra Regionale Toscana directed by Daniele Rustioni.
In February 2017, he covered the role of principal clarinet with the “Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino” in its concerts at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman.
In 2019, he performed as principal clarinet of the Orchestra of the Teatro Verdi in Salerno in the opera “Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini under the direction of Daniel Oren.
In 2020, Alfredo performed Ravel’s “Bolero” on e-flat clarinet with the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan accompanying the Étoile Roberto Bolle. In the same role, he performed with the Scala Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Zubin Mehta.
In 2021, Alfredo collaborated as second clarinet with the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan in Richard Strauss’s “Salome”, broadcasted live on Rai 5 Tv, under the direction of Riccardo Chailly.
In June 2022, he performed as principal clarinet of the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under the direction of Zubin Mehta in a series of concerts including the one held at the highly prestigious Musikverein in Vienna.
In October 2022, Alfredo performed Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto K622 with the Brutia Symphony Orchestra of Cosenza.
In November 2022, he performed Mahler Symphony n°3 as principal e-flat clarinet with the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala under the baton of Daniele Gatti for the opening of the 2022-23 symphonic season.
Alfredo is the winner of numerous national and international competitions, including the second prize at the Koblenz Classical Music Festival in Germany and the third prize at the “Giacomo Mensi” International Clarinet Competition in Breno (Brescia), Italy.
He has published the volume The Nineteenth-Century Italian Clarinet Tradition and its Revaluation: The Case of Ernesto Cavallini (Aracne, Rome, 2007).
Alfredo is currently Professor of Clarinet, e-flat and bass clarinet at the “Stanislao Giacomantonio” Conservatory in Cosenza, where he teaches undergraduates and postgraduates, and conducts the clarinet choir.