Biography
Biography
Alessandro Parfitt
An Italian cellist exploring the dialogue between solo performance, chamber music and new repertoire.
His concert activity has taken him to Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain, Austria and Hungary.
On stage
Soloist & chamber musician
Alessandro Parfitt has collaborated with the Menuhin Camerata, Amati Ensemble, Orchestra Archi Italiani, the Master Orchestra of Brescia and the Mihail Jora Orchestra of Bacău.
From Geneva’s Victoria Hall and the Rosey Concert Hall in Rolle to Auditorio RSI and LAC Lugano, Teatro di Corte in Naples and Teatro Verdi in Salerno, Alessandro Parfitt’s concert activity brings together solo repertoire, orchestral projects and chamber music.
During his time at the International Menuhin Music Academy, he took part in concert productions with Renaud Capuçon, Nelson Goerner, Gérard Caussé and Iddo Bar-Shaï, performing under the direction of Jean-Jacques Kantorow and Pierre Bleuse. Other solo and orchestral projects have brought him together with conductors Ovidiu Balan, Nicola Hansalik Samale, Francesco Nocerino and Burapha Andrea Pedrolini. With Pedrolini and Occasio Ensemble, he performed Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D major, Hob. VIIb:2.
Alongside these orchestral experiences, an ongoing partnership with pianist Lorenzo Traverso offers a more intimate musical dialogue, exploring the cello and piano repertoire through works by Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.
Artistic work
Tradition, discovery, dialogue.
Solo cello programmes bring together Bach and twentieth-century composers, while contemporary music and transcription offer further paths for exploring the instrument.
His work includes the album Hoffmann: Mandolin Quartets, released by Brilliant Classics in January 2024 with Federico Maddaluno and the co-edition, with Antonia De Pasquale, of Luigi Scarpa’s Metamorphosis for cello and piano, published by Bergmann Edition.
He holds a Master of Arts in Music Performance (12 June 2026), major in Instrumental/Vocal Performance, cello, and a Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy (13 June 2024), both from the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana in Lugano, where he studied cello with Asier Polo Bilbao in both programmes. His earlier training includes Natalia Gutman at Fiesole, Ilie Ionescu and the G. Martucci Conservatory in Salerno.
“Alessandro Parfitt is considered one of the most promising Italian cellists of his generation.”
Alessandro Parfitt has appeared as soloist and chamber musician with a wide range of orchestras and ensembles in Italy and abroad. He has collaborated with ensembles such as the Menuhin Camerata (both as soloist and in chamber music repertoire), Orchestra Archi Italiani, Amati Ensemble, Master Orchestra of Brescia, and the Mihail Jora Orchestra of Bacău, performing under the direction of conductors including Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Renaud Capuçon, Francesco Nocerino, Ovidiu Bălan, Sergio Baietta, Stefano Pagliani and Andrea Pedrazzini,Massimiliano Carlini, Nicola Colabianchi and Nicola Hansalik Samale.
He has performed in major concert halls and cultural institutions such as the Victoria Hall of Geneva, Auditorio RSI and LAC Lugano,Rosey Concert Hall of Rolle, Teatro di Corte of Naples, Teatro Verdi of Salerno, Teatro della Reggia di Caserta, Villa Fondi in Sorrento, Giardini della Mortella (Villa Walton) in Ischia, Museo Franco Messina and Università Bocconi in Milan, as well as at Cremona Mondo Musica 2024. His international activity includes appearances at the International Yehudi Menuhin Festival in Rolle, the Tibor Varga Festival, the Festival de Bellerive, the J. S. Bach Festival of Lutry, the Festival LAC Lugano and Settimane Cameristiche di Lugano, Festival Le Settimane Musicali di Ascona, and performances in France, Spain, Hungary and Austria, including the Théâtre Municipal of Almería.
Repertoire Overview
Alessandro Parfitt combines a strong commitment to the great classical tradition with a deep interest in twentieth-century and contemporary repertoire. His artistic focus spans from Baroque and Classical masters to Romantic and modern works, with particular attention to solo, concerto and chamber music literature.
His concerto repertoire includes works by Vivaldi, Haydn, Boccherini, Dvořák, Saint-Saëns, Lalo, Tchaikovsky, Bruch, Davidoff and Shostakovich.
As a solo recital, he regularly performs the complete Six Suites for Solo Cello by J. S. Bach, alongside works by Dall’Abaco, Cassadó, Hindemith, Popper, Piatti, Servais, Crumb and Prokofiev.
Alongside a broad chamber music activity, he has carried out in-depth research on piano and cello sonatas by Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Cilea and Boccherini, and maintains an active duo collaboration with pianist Lorenzo Traverso.
Particularly engaged with contemporary music, Alessandro Parfitt has performed works by Kaija Saariaho, George Crumb, Rebecca Martinez, Luigi Scarpa and Burapha A. Pedrolini, and has contributed to modern repertoire through performances, recordings and editorial work. His discographic activity includes recordings for Brilliant Classics and live broadcasts for Swiss Radio (RTSI and Radio Suisse Romande).
He also explores transcription and adaptation, including original arrangements for solo cello, expanding the expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument.