​DAVID BOLDRINI
Piano and opera are the two great passions of the Tuscan musician David Boldrini.
A pianist, conductor, and composer with an international career, Boldrini is also a tireless creator of projects dedicated to the dissemination of opera—“an extraordinary cultural heritage, Italian yet universal, capable of reaching everyone’s heart and building bridges between peoples and generations.”
Born in 1974 in Empoli, Boldrini graduated with highest honors and special distinction from the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory in Florence in Piano and in Organ and Organ Composition. He furthered his studies with Bruno Canino, Vincenzo Balzani, Paul Badura-Skoda, and Pier Narciso Masi. After winning numerous competitions, he embarked on a brilliant solo career that has taken him to prestigious stages such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Cantoral Auditorium in Mexico City, Kioko Hall in Tokyo, and the Cité de la Musique in Paris.
He is also highly active as a chamber musician—collaborating with artists such as Katia Ricciarelli, Andrea Bocelli, Bruno Canino, and Franco Mezzena—and as a conductor, leading ensembles including the Craiova Orchestra, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra (Formazione), the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Florence Chamber Orchestra.
Among his recent compositions are Stabat Mater and Messa A.D. 2016 (recorded for Movimento Classical), the opera L’Amante (world premiere at Teatro del Costone in Siena in 2017), and the short lyrical film Il Formaggio (world premiere at Teatro Odeon in Florence in 2020, later adapted into an animated film produced by Okubo Station).
On the recording front, Boldrini has revived unpublished or rarely performed works, including Carl Czerny’s Concertos for piano four hands and orchestra, and keyboard concertos by Jommelli, Boccherini, Pergolesi, Clementi, Paisiello, and Cimarosa, recorded for Brilliant Classics. Some of his recordings have been released by Amadeus magazine, and in 2022 Movimento Classical issued his album featuring J. S. Bach’s solo keyboard concertos.
A profound connoisseur of opera, in 2007 Boldrini founded Italian Opera Florence, a highly successful concert series presenting a performance every evening of the year with the most beloved pages of the operatic repertoire. Hosted at the Church of Santa Monaca in Florence—a jewel of the Oltrarno district—the series features renowned artists alongside emerging vocal talents and is supported by a permanent orchestra and choir. Thanks in part to strong word-of-mouth online, Italian Opera Florence attracts thousands of opera lovers from around the world and in 2022 was almost always sold out.
Italian Opera Florence also produces a widely attended touring opera season in historic theaters across Tuscany, including Teatro Pacini in Pescia, Teatro Signorelli in Cortona, Teatro dei Concordi in Campiglia Marittima, Teatro Guglielmi in Massa, Teatro Verdi in Santa Croce sull’Arno, Teatro dei Coraggiosi in Pomarance, Teatro Verdi in Casciana Terme, and Teatro Comunale in Fauglia.
Boldrini is the Artistic Director of the new Claudio Desderi Opera Competition, created in homage to the great baritone with the aim of promoting outstanding young vocal talents by offering concrete career opportunities. The winners of the first edition will star in the opera season at Teatro Verdi in Santa Croce sull’Arno between March and April 2023.
He received the Area Cultura Award 2022 as pianist and composer and the Giotto Golden Career Award 2023.