Federico Califano
Appears on:Federico Califano, born on 19/07/1997 in Benevento. He began his formal study of music at the age of 10, choosing the saxophone as his first instrument. He graduated from the “G. Guacci” Music High School in Benevento.
In 2015, he was admitted to the Umbria Jazz Clinics at the Berklee School of Music in Boston, being placed in the Award Group at the end of the course, which performed on one of the official stages at Umbria Jazz 2015.
In September 2015, he attended the “Riverberi 2015” Seminar, directed by Luca Aquino, where the international jury considered him the best student. In September 2016, he was admitted to the Academic Triennium of the Siena Jazz University, receiving a scholarship for the high quality of his audition.
At “Siena Jazz Estate” 2017, he obtained a scholarship for the demonstrated technical-artistic and interpretative abilities. In 2020, he earned the three-year academic diploma in Jazz Saxophone at the Siena Jazz Academy, and in 2022, he graduated with honors from the two-year master’s program in Jazz Saxophone at the Conservatorio G.B. Martini under the guidance of saxophonist Barend Middellhoff.
He attended Master Classes with saxophone greats such as Dave Liebman, Donny McCaslin (David Bowie’s last saxophonist), Rosario Giuliani, Will Vinson, Ben Van Gelder, Ben Wendel, Miguel Zenon, Dino Govoni, Barend Middelhoff, Dan Kinzelman, as well as renowned trumpeters Dave Douglas, Enrico Rava, and Luca Aquino.
He has performed on significant national and international stages, including the Riverberi Appia Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Italian Cultural Institute in Paris, Umbria Jazz, Siena Jazz, Tuscia in Jazz, Treviso Jazz, and MetJazz in Prato. He was part of the Orchestra of the Siena Jazz Academy directed by Roberto Spadoni.
He is a member of the National Orchestra of Conservatories, with performances in Dubai at the official events of EXPO 2020, at the Parco della Musica in Rome, Pescara Jazz, and the Stresa Festival. He is currently part of the Michele Corcella guitarist’s ensemble, featuring some prominent names in the Italian jazz scene.
In 2021, he was awarded the prestigious Nando Giardina Prize by the Rotary Club. He leads the group “The Moonshiners,” regularly performing at Cantina Bentivoglio. He is also a member of the quintet led by saxophonist Guglielmo Pagnozzi.
He participated in the CDs “Orchestrando Piano” with Gerardo Pepe and “Monk’s Pieces” with Luca Marzano. In April 2023, he played at the “Nosy Boraha Jazz Festival,” one of the most important jazz festivals in Africa.
On April 30, 2023, for the International Jazz Day, he performed as the invited solo saxophonist at the National Roman Museum “Terme di Diocleziano” with Massimo Urbani’s historic group, the ’93 Trio, paying tribute to the saxophone genius 30 years after his premature deat