Luca Avanzi, born 1963 in Milan, studied oboe with Bourgue, Calderni, Grazzi and attended classes of Molino, Garbarino and Laganà.

Luca started receiving his first prizes and awards since 1978, winning numerous national and international competitions: from Cesena, Manta, Pomeriggi Musicali, to the more recent prizes won in Venice (1995) and Pavia (1996).

Luca performs as a soloist and as a chamber musician and has had an important career as oboist. He was the principal oboist of the La Scala Theatre of Milan from 1984 to 1986, of the National Orchestra of RAI in Turin from 1985 to 1987, of Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan from 1988 to 1994. He was one of the first Italian instrument players of the ECYO in 1981-1983, the first European youth orchestra of a very high level; and has been directed by Abbado, Berstein, Maazel, Giulini, Barenboim, Gatti, Pretre, Sawallisch and Dorati. He has performed a large number of solo repertoires with orchestras: including concerto of R. Strauss with RAI Milan (in 1982) and with Pom. Musicali (in 1981), concerto of W.A. Mozart (in 1986 and 1988), concertos of Haydn, Marcello, Vivaldi, Leclair, Bach, Barber, Donatoni, ‘Mozart Concertante’, etc. and has recorded a CD of Italian oboe works of the ’700 (Platti, Sammartini, Hasse, Dall’Abaco) for the Stradivarius label.

His inexhaustible interest for wind instruments (Luca also plays the flute and the clarinet) has brought him to explore the baroque oboe, starting with P. Grazzi in 1984 and then continuing with A. Bernardini and S. Toni. Together with the latter, Luca has contributed to promoting the ‘Silete Venti’ ensemble!

Luca Avanzi collaborates with various artists including G. Nasillo, F. Biondi, R. Gini and others. He has worked in duet with A. Ballista and constantly takes part in both Italian and foreign chamber music groups, such as Nieuw Ensemble Amsterdam, Divertimento Ensemble, Novecento e oltre, Nuove Sincronie, Musica Rara, Musica Insieme of Cremona, Ensemble Garbarino, Novurgia.

Many composers have dedicated their debut works to Luca Avanzi: amongst these N. Castiglioni (Rima for oboe and piano), P. Molino, S. Gorli, D. Anzaghi. Luca performed ‘Oboe sommerso’ of E. Carter for the first time in Italy, the first concerto for oboe and ensemble of B. Maderna at the Biennale of Venice and ‘Festina Lente’ for oboe and ensemble of R. Rivolta. In ’98, Luca collaborated in ‘Vivaldi; the meeting’ CD together with renowned Cuban percussionist Dave Lombardo, in which Vivaldian melodies alternate with jazzist improvisations.

Since 1990, Luca has published a number of reviews on the prestigious magazine ‘MUSICA’ and is currently Professor of oboe at the Conservatory of Milan.