Classique

Fabio Cesare

Saxophonist and composer Fabio Cesare has built his musical journey with dedication and passion.

Born in 1995, he graduated in 2016 with top honors in Saxophone from the "Nicola Sala" Conservatory in Benevento, under the guidance of Maestro Paolo Rigliari. He continued his studies in France, specializing in solo repertoire at the Strasbourg Conservatory in Philippe Geiss’s class, earning the highest distinction. In 2020, he obtained a Master’s degree in chamber music at the Haute École des Arts du Rhin, an experience that further enriched his artistic journey through the Quatuor Avena and fueled his passion for composition. At the same time, he deepened his study of jazz under the guidance of Michael Alizon.

Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to refine his skills with some of the most prestigious saxophone masters, including Federico Mondelci, Mario Marzi, Arno Bornkamp, Nobuya Sugawa, Vincent David, Jean-Denis Michat, Philippe Geiss, Masataka Hirano, Joonatan Rautiola, Jean-Pierre Caens, Derek Brown, and Baptiste Herbin.

He has distinguished himself in numerous national and international competitions, winning 14 awards both as a soloist and in chamber ensembles. Among his most recent accolades are the "Prix d’honneur au concours Leopold Bellan" in Paris, the "Prix de la ville de Boulogne Billancourt" et le prix spécial de l’APEC" at the "Musique de chambre des XXème et XXIème siècles" interpretation competition in Paris, the First Prize in the chamber music category and the special Kazuo Tomioka Award at the Kurashiki International Saxophone Competition in Japan, as well as the Second Prize and the Audience Award at the XXIV Gaetano Zinetti International Music Competition in Verona.

His concert career has led him to perform in prestigious theaters and festivals across Italy, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Luxembourg. Notable venues include the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, the Mozart Festival in Pravets, Bulgaria, the World Saxophone Congress in Croatia, and the Philharmonie de Luxembourg. He has also had the privilege to perform several times for the European Parliament in Strasbourg on international occasions.

He has premiered numerous works both in Italy and abroad, such as a Quintet for alto saxophone and string quartet composed by Gilles Arcens, Massar by Jean-Charles Richard, dedicated to the Quatuor Avena, and Stabat Mater by Gaetano Panariello, dedicated to the Airang Ensemble and the Coro della Pietà dei Turchini in Naples, with whom he collaborated as a saxophonist.

Since 2015, he has regularly collaborated with the Benevento Philharmonic Orchestra and, since 2017, with the Orchestra of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, working with internationally renowned conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly, Antonio Pappano, Daniel Oren, Juraj Valčuha, Timothy Brock, Vello Pähn, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, Paul Connelly, Elio Boncompagni, Alberto Nanetti, Valerio Galli, and many others.

His discography includes the album Massar, released in 2023 with the Quatuor Avena under the Indésens label. In July 2025, his new album Libellula will be released by Klarthe, featuring exclusively his own original compositions, marking a significant milestone in his artistic growth as both a composer and performer.

Fabio Cesare, along with his brother Pasquale Cesare, is a founding member of ProgettOpera, an innovative chamber ensemble composed of six saxophonists and a percussionist. The ensemble reinterprets Puccini’s great operas in a unique and original way. In August 2025, the group will record its first album with Da Vinci Records, dedicated to Tosca by Giacomo Puccini.

Alongside his performing career, he has extensive teaching experience. Since 2015, he has assisted Maestro Paolo Rigliari in the saxophone class at the Nicola Sala Conservatory in Benevento. He has also conducted master classes at prestigious international institutions, such as the Conservatory of Gap in France, the Harare International School in Zimbabwe, the School of Music at North-West University in South Africa, and the Conservatory of Nancy in France. Additionally, he has taught at the Leonardo Da Vinci Deutsch-Italienische Schule in Munich and in various music schools and academies in France. Since 2025, he has been a saxophone professor at the Fausto Torrefranca Conservatory in Vibo Valentia, Italy.