Nicola Ferro
Biography
World famous M° Nicola Ferro is an extremely talented and versatile Trombonist, composer and arranger: his interests include classical music, jazz, electronic music, pop, film music and dance music. His professional experience led him to achieve a great expertise.
MASTER DEGREE in Trombone (INTERPRETATION AND COMPOSITION course) at Conservatorio Statale di Musica AFAM San Pietro a Majella of Naples in July 2011, with Gianluca Camilli as mentor and Enrico Renna and Loredana Arcaro: full mark 110/110 with honours and praise from the commission.
Born into a family of musicians, he started studying the piano and later the trombone at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica “G. Martucci” of Salerno. In 1996 he graduated in Trombone with Maestro Roberto Bianchi. In the same year he attained the Diploma in Socio-psych pedagogy at Istituto Alfano I° in Salerno.
He attended many masterclasses of Advanced Music with world-renowned Maestros such as:
- Andrea Conti (First Trombone of Orchestra sinfonica di Santa Cecilia in Rome)
- Ian Bousfield (First Trombone of Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra)
- Charles Vernon (Bass Trombone of Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
- Andrea Bandini (First Trombone of Orchestre de la Suisse Romande of Geneva)
- Antonello Mazzucco (Bass Trombone of Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai of Turin)
- Roberto Schiano (world-renowned freelance jazz trombonist)
- Jacques Mauger (Concert performer and teacher at Conservatoire Superieur of Paris)
- Luca Benucci (First Horn at Teatro Comunale di Firenze)
- Fabiano Fiorenzani (First Trombone at Teatro Comunale of Firenze)
- Early Anderson (Freelance Jazz Trombonist in New York)
- Gianluca Scipioni (First Trombone at Teatro Regio of Turin)
From 1995 he started working with Orchestras and followed many tours in Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Denmark, Brazil and USA with:
- Orchestra del Teatro la Fenice di Venezia;
- Orchestra da Camera Italiana Roma;
- Orchestra del Teatro Massimo di Palermo;
- Orchestra Internazionale D’Italia – Fermo;
- R.O. interregionale jugendmusikfestival Ochsenhausen Germania;
- Orchestra della Comunità Valenciana – SPAIN;
- Orchestra del Friuli Venezia Giulia – Udine;
- Y.O. World Youth Orchestra – Roma;
- EJYO European Jazz Youth Orchestra Copenhagen – DK; *
- Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino;
- Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo;
- Orchestra Nuova Scarlatti di Napoli;
- Orchestra del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma;
- Orchestra A. Toscanini di Parma;
- Orchestra Guido Cantelli di Milano;
- Orchestra di Fonopoli – Roma;
- Orchestra del Teatro San Carlo di Napoli;
- Camerata Strumentale Città di PRATO;
- Orchestra del Conservatorio di Napoli;
- Compagnia Teatrale MediaAetas di Napoli;
- Orchestra di Ravello Città della Musica;
- Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Parma;
- Orchestra Del teatro Verdi di Salerno;
*in the EJYO International Orchestra Nicola Ferro was the only Italian musician. With the same orchestra he recorded the CD “Swinging Europe Tour 2004” in Brazil, published by AXIS Label and distributed by Libra Music Denmark.
From the very beginning of his career M° Nicola Ferro has been directed by prestigious conductors such as
- Riccardo Muti
- Michael Güttler
- Lorin Maazel
- Daniel Oren
- Antonio Pappano
- George Pretre
- György Györiványi Ráth
- Donato Renzetti
- Isaac Karabtchevsky
- Louis Bakalov
- Alondra De La Parra
- Giampaolo Bisanti
- Nicola Luisotti
- Julian Kovatchev
- Salvatore Accardo
- Bruno Tommaso
- Gabriele Ferro
He also participated in many TV shows like:
“Domenica in” (1998, Raiuno);
“I fatti vostri” (1997, Raidue), he accompanied the duo Antonio e Marcello with Mediterranea Orchestra;
“La sera dei miracoli” with “La Nuova Scarlatti” orchestra (1999, Raiuno), he accompanied singers Lucio Dalla, Gianni Morandi, Nino D’Angelo, Mango.
He took part in the Fred Bongusto’s show, Tour 1997 with Mediterranea Orchestra;
He accompanied singer Mariella Nava (1999) with Fonopoli Orchestra (Rome).
He played with singer MEG during the emission “STELLA” by Maurizio Costanzo on SKY TV in April 2008.
In 2004 he recorded the CD “Specula & Gemini” with Orchestra Jazz a Majella of Naples: the project included music of M° Bruno Tommaso and M° Roberto De Simone and was produced and distributed by RaiTrade.
He participated in the production of the DVD Concert Lesson with Riccardo Muti and Camerata Strumentale Città di Prato – Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, published in Italian Newspaper La Repubblica and released in spring 2009.
He won twice the first prize of the National Music Competition “La musica nel web” organized by Bresciaonline – Brescia, (with 465 participants in 2002 and 600 participants in 2003) with the project “I signori Chonda” composed by himself and performed in two CDs compilation with SONY DADC label – City Record Milano.
He published his Trombone study book with Setticlavio Editions from Salerno EXERCISES WITH MOUTHPIECE T168 – 2005 Nicola Ferro.
From 2005 he works with singer MEG: they recorded the CD PSYCOLDELICE 2008, Multiformi label – self distribution.
Nicola Ferro has always been interested in harmonies and arrangements of various genre. He studied composition and computer music with M° Roberto Altieri and later with M° Bruno Tommaso, developing his talent and his freedom in the musical expression.
He is also active as a composer. He is the official composer and arranger of ALESSI PUBLICATIONS of New York, with whom he signed a contract for the first publication of the project TETRALOGY OF THE SUN, four compositions for Trombone and Piano dedicated to Joseph Alessi, Principal Trombone of New York Philharmonic. Many of his compositions were published by this American edition, for example: Black White; Buonasera Trombone; Chonda Music; Contrasto; Daybreak; Enry Blue; HOT WIND; Midday; Midnight; Notes of Love; Red Spain; Remember the Life; Solarius; Sunset; The Cat Of Highmount; Wind’s Dance.
From 2003 Nicola Ferro collaborates with First Trombone of New York Philharmonic Joseph Alessi in many projects.
In the Japanese tour of 2007 Nicola Ferro composed “AIR OF MANHATTAN” for brass quintet of New York Philharmonic. The two pieces SUNSET and DAYBREAK are included in Joseph Alessi’s CD “RETURN TO SORRENTO”, produced and worldwide distributed by NAXOS RECORD cod. 8.570232.
He also collaborates with the record company SUMMIT RECORD of USA: they produced and published the CREATE project together, with M° Ferro working as composer, Trombonist, arranger, Keyboardist, Vocal Performer, Programmer MacPc and Artistic Producer.
With the CD CREATE he received a Nomination to the GRAMMY AWARDS in 2008 in Los Angeles in the first 50 albums of FIELD 10 CATEGORY 45.
He composed RED SPAIN for CHRISTIAN LINDBERG & JOSEPH ALESSI, a project for 2 trombones and electric sounds, first time performed in Valencia on 5th April 2008.
Two original composition by Nicola Ferro for Trumpet Ensemble and Virtual Group CONTRASTO and HOT WIND are included in the CD L’ANACORETA by A. Giuffredi with participation of Randy Brecker, produced and worldwide distributed by SUMMIT RECORDS USA DCD392.
He composed REMEMBER THE LIFE for the 10th anniversary of ALESSI SEMINAR IN NEW MEXICO 2009 performed by the most important American trombonists Jon Whitaker, Peter Ellefson etc.
From 2006 he has started teaching MUSIC ENSAMBLE at the international summer courses of ISTITUTO G.A. FANO OF SPILIMBERGO (PORDENONE, ITALY), with the patronage of Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri.
In 2008 he performed with Orchestra della Comunità of Valencia in Spain at the PALAU DE LES ARTS DE REINA SOFIA, with the conduction of M° Lorin Maazel.
He composed original music for the SLIDE FACTORY 2009 – INTERNATIONAL TROMBONISTS FESTIVAL performed in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where also a DVD was published and released in 2010.
In the academic year 2008/2009 he taught Composition for popular music in the teacher training course for the competition classes A031/A032, A077 at the Conservatorio Statale di Salerno.
In 2010 he was commissioned with the composition of New Trombone Collective (Netherlands) NOESION, a project of 9 Trombones and electronic EQUIPMENT for the production of a DVD as a tribute to URBIE GREEN, with release in 2011 and the first representation on 5th July in Rotterdam in Netherlands.
He produced with the American record label SUMMIT RECORDS Inc. his new CD EARTH GAMES 2012 about the Maya Prophecy. The project was entirely created, produced, composed and arranged by Nicola Ferro and many worldwide known performers took part, such as JOSEPH ALESSI, ANDREA TOFANELLI, JUSTIN B. CLARK, ALEXANDRE BELDA CERDA’, NICOLA FERRO, DOMENICO ANDRIA, PIETRO CIUCCIO, PASQUALE DE PAOLA.
He produced with LINDA RECORDS Milano some original pieces of DANCE MUSIC with his project on the electric Trombone NICOLA’S STYLE. He wrote ALABAMA on request of Jonathan Whitaker, a composition in commemoration of the tornado I Tuscaloosa AL victims, with the first execution on 5th august 2011.
With the ITALIAN WAY MUSIC Milano label he produced the electronic music project ELEKTRIKA JAZZ PROJECT with his own original compositions.
He composed for the University of Alabama in USA “THE FATHER SUN”, for the ALABAMA WIND ENSAMBLE EUROPE TOUR 2012 published by Scomegna edition of Turin.
From 2004 to 2011 he taught Trumpet and Trombone at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica di Salerno G. Martucci. From 2011 to 2014 he taught at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica di Matera E.R. Duni.
In 2015 he was Trombone teacher at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica of Cosenza Stanislao Giacomantonio; from 2015 to 2018 he taught Trombone at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica of Vibo Valentia Fausto Torrefranca.
He produced Joseph Alessis’s CD “Caliente”, in which he worked as Composer, Artistic Producer, arranger and Trombone performer. The CD was recorded in Italy at Zork Digital Planet and in New York at Alessi Music Studio and it was released on 15th may 2013.
In spring 2016 he composed for Niry Fide Xemy a composition that was included in the CD of “THE BONE SOCIETY” called BONELAB.
In March 2016 Jon Whitaker commissioned him a composition for Trombone solo and Grand Concert Wind Band with title MEGA Alabama Music University USA.
For more than 20 years he was first Trombone of the Teatro Verdi Orchestra of Salerno FILARMONICA SALERNITANA and in the last 10 years he was directed by M° Daniel Oren.
He gives masterclasses at the FONDAZIONE FOSSANO MUSICA – MUSIC CAMP in Cuneo, Italy.
He is now Trombone Teacher at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica San Pietro a Majella of Naples. www.sanpietroamajella.it
He is artist for the CONN SELMER COMPANY – BACH COMPANY ELKHART INDIANA U.S.A.
