Andrea Tofanelli
Concert
Andrea Tofanelli graduated cum laude at the Lucca Conservatory with highest full marks, specializing his technical/classical studies with Armando Ghitalla (Boston Symphony Orchestra) and consolidated his jazz studies with O. Valdambrini and S. Fanni, trumpet soloists of the RAI Television Orchestras. In the Jazz field he performed with artists like Maynard Ferguson and his Big Bop Nouveau Band, Randy Brecker, Claudio Roditi, Peter Erskine, Kenny Wheeler, Tom Harrell, Paul Jeffrey, Dave Liebman, Carmen Bradford, Butch Miles, Eric Marienthal, Frank Foster, Paul Jeffrey, Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, Steve Swallow, Lew Soloff and Dani Felber just to name a few. He performed at the official “Maynard Ferguson Tribute” (2006) in St. Louis and in 2008 he received the Visa O-1 for Extraordinary Ability in the Arts from the USA Government. He appeared in the “Le ragazze di San Frediano” TV movie. In these last 30 years he performed in around 100 tv shows on the Italian TV, recording as session man more than 600 pop albums (many of them Gold and Platinum Records awarded), cinema soundtracks, TV commercials, and pop videos for the most famous Italian Pop and Jazz artists, in the most elite recording studios in Italy. He performed in the most famous theaters and festivals of Italy, United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, Norway, England, Germany, Luxemburg, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Malta, Finland, France, Spain, Russia, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Holland, Belgium, Scotland, Poland, Croatia, Mexico, Greece, Brazil, Portugal, Serbia, Romania, Egypt and Principato of Monaco, as soloist or performing with artists like Luciano Pavarotti, Gino Vannelli, Paul Anka, George Michael, Joe Cocker, Tom Jones, Burt Bacharach Michael Bublè, Dee Dee Bridgewater, New York Voices, Tony Hadley, Randy Crawford, Matt Bianco, Kid Creole & The Coconuts, Gloria Gaynor, The Gibson Brothers, Samantha Fox, Imagination, Patrick Hernandez, Tony Hadley, Paul Young and Petula Clark.
As an international trumpet artist and jazz/classical music educator, he regularly performs and gives master classes all over the world. Andrea is currently the only Italian trumpet player teaching both Classical and Jazz music in the academical level, being Professor of Classical Trumpet at the Conservatory of Music “Vecchi-Tonelli” in Modena and Professor of Jazz Trumpet at the prestigious Fiesole School of Music in Florence (Italy). He is a Yamaha Artist/Clinician since 2003, former member of the ITG Board of Directors, current member of the ITG Advisors Council and also member of the WBA World & European Brass Association. In 2023 he joined The Recording Academy of Los Angeles (NARAS National Academy of Recordings Arts & Sciences), becoming a voting member for the Grammy Awards. He has been artistic director of the Dean Benedetti Jazz Festival (2000-2010) and currently of the “Vissi d’Arte Jazz” festival (2024).