The musician Franco Ascolese, born in 1997, graduated in Flute with the highest honors, 110/110 cum laude under the guidance of Maestro Salvatore Lombardi. After completing advanced studies at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome, he recently concluded his Master of Arts in Music Performance at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, studying with Maestro Andrea Oliva. He has recently won an audition for the Soloist - Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance, during which he will perform two solo concerts with the OSI - "Orchestra of Italian Switzerland.”

He has attended masterclasses and advanced courses with renowned flutists such as Emmanuel Pahud, Sir James Galway, Patrick Gallois, Jean-Claude Gérard, Andrea Manco, Jackie Zone, Sébastian Jacot, Matteo Evangelisti, Carlo Enrico Macalli, Philippe Bernold, and other prominent figures in the flute world.

Recently, he has been awarded First Prize in several international competitions, which have allowed him to perform concerts in Italy and abroad in some of the most renowned concert halls in the world. These include the Beethoven House in Bonn, Germany; the A.N. Scriabin Hall in Moscow, Russia; Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome; Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy; the TASIS Hall in Lugano, Switzerland; the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York, USA (December 2021); the Solitär - Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria (August 2022); the Kleine Zaal - Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Netherlands; the Tribute Communities Recital Hall in Toronto, Canada; the Amphitheatre - Cité de la Musique - Philharmonie in Paris, France; the Elgar Room - Royal Albert Hall in London, England; and the Studio Recital Hall - Bozar - Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium. He is also scheduled to perform at the Gläserner Saal - Musikverein in Vienna, Austria.

He has participated in various national and international competitions both as a soloist and in chamber music, achieving First Prize with the highest scores. Among his accomplishments, he received the Absolute First Prize at the International Competition "Mille Note" in Airola (BN), where he was awarded a Special Prize, the Opening Concert at the "International Summer Academy" in Poros, Greece. He also won First Prize with a scholarship in Matera at the 18th "Rosa Ponselle" Competition, Absolute First Prize with a scholarship in Naples at the International Competition "Napoli Nova" in the Soloists and Chamber Music category, the First Soloist Prize in Venice at the Flute Competition "A Tutto Flauto," and the Absolute First Prize at the International CIMN Competition.

He has performed in concerts at the Milan EXPO, invited by the Baptist Hospital of Miami-Florida, during the "European Food Week" sponsored by the FAO. He has also performed in Stuttgart, Germany, at an altitude of 2000 meters in Bettmeralp, Switzerland, in Porto Rotondo and the municipality of La Maddalena (Sardinia), at the "Young Talents" concert for the FalautCampus - Diano in Musica in Teggiano (SA), at the "Chamber Music Festival" for the University of Italian Switzerland in Lugano, for the prestigious 2022 Concert Season "Giardini La Mortella" of the William Walton Foundation in Forio d'Ischia, and at the "A.N. Scriabin" Conservatory in Moscow, Russia.

For two years, he performed at the Italian Parliament in Rome, Montecitorio, with the Nuova Orchestra Scarlatti for the event "Montecitorio Open Doors" as First Flute, having been eligible for this orchestra since 2016. He was also invited as a special guest to the "European Opera Days.”

He has performed as a soloist under the direction of Maestros D. Moles, G. Fratta, B. Venezi, G. Russo, and L. Gaeta in numerous concerts in Lugano, Maratea, Naples, Cosenza, and Rome. In November 2022, he performed a series of concerts in Naples with the renowned Maestro Bruno Canino.

Passionate about teaching, in 2019, he conducted a masterclass for students at the "A.N. Scriabin" Conservatory of Music in Moscow, Russia. He taught during the academic year 2021/22 at the “Jacopo Tomadini” Conservatory in Udine, and currently, for the academic year 2022/23, he is a flute teacher at the "Nicola Sala" Conservatory in Benevento.

Since 2019, he has been attending the annual "SOLO" Advanced Course for Soloists with Maestro Andrea Griminelli at the Mozart Hall of the Regia Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna, where he performed a duet with Maestro Griminelli during the final concert on May 30, 2022.

- La Stampa

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