Marina Notaro

Versatile saxophonist, active both nationally and internationally, appreciated in classical and contemporary aesthetics, soloist, chamber musician and teacher, Marina Notaro is an emblematic figure of the national and international music scene. She started studying the saxophone very young in the band of S. Agata Militello (ME), her hometown. She continued her studies at the Conservatory "G. Verdi" in Milan under the direction of Maestro Daniele Comoglio, graduating with honors presenting the experimental project In_Search for saxophones and electronics, also perfecting herself with important names of the world scene such as Jean-Marie Londeix, Vincent David, Claude Delangle, Mario Marzi, Fabrizio Mancuso, Arno Bornkamp, Christian Wirth, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Lars Mleckush.

Subsequently Marina obtained a Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy, Saxophone at the prestigious Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano with top marks.

She collaborated with the most important orchestras of the Italian and international scene including: Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Filarmonica della Scala, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, I Pomeriggi Musicali, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, performing in prestigious halls such as: Philarmonie Berlin, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Teatro dal Verme, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro St. James Cavalier (Malta), Teatro di Bastia (Corsica), Megaron - Athens Concert Hall.

As soloist she has interpreted the most important pages of the classical repertoire such as Jacques Ibert's - Concertino da Camera,  Alexandre Glazunov's Concerto in Eb, H. Villa-Lobos' Fantasia.

She has taken part in an important tour of China performing in prestigious theatres and halls such as Yangzhou Concert Hall, Tianjin Grand Theatre and Harbin Grand Theatre in chamber recitals in duo with pianist Elia Tagliavia.

She has been conducting researches in electro-acoustics and collaborates with the Electronic Music Department of the G. Verdi Conservatory of Milan.

Her new project, OVERLAP, an audiovisual installation performance created with Matteo Castiglioni, was selected for the season “Early Night Modern” at the LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura organized by Oggimusica. The project was also published on Sonic Scope Journal, a popular scientific magazine by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In 2021, Maschere is released by Da Vinci Publishing, an album dedicated to unpublished compositions for saxophone written specifically by some of the most important composers of the contemporary field: Colombo Taccani, Sciortino, Viel, Capogrosso, Sormani, Priolo, Li Puma, Marazia and Marino.

She teaches saxophone at the S. Giacomantonio Conservatory in Cosenza and regularly holds master classes in Italian and foreign academies

Photo credit: Tanya Ceccon