Biography

Robert Bonfiglio, harmonica

Called "the Paganini of the Harmonica" by The Los Angeles Times, Robert Bonfiglio has dazzled audiences at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Gewandhaus, the Teatro Colón, Lincoln Center and throughout the world with his ability to play Harmonica Concertos and turn right around and “sizzle” on the ‘blues.

Bonfiglio has been a concerto soloist with leading orchestras around the world including the Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Orchestra of the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, the Leipzig M D R-Radio Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Madrid Radio Television Española Orchestra, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, the Estonia National Symphony, Edmonton Symphony, the Mexico City Philharmonic, as well as the Milwaukee Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Utah Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He will make his debut next season with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec.

He has worked under such great conductors as Gerard Schwarz, Lucas Vis, Jorge Mester, Theo Alcantara, Robert Bernhardt, JoAnn Falletta, Bruce Ferden, Giséle Ben-dor, Christopher Wilkins, Enrique García Ascensio, Giancarlo Guerrero, Kirk Trevor, Lucas Foss, David Alan Miller, Fabio Luisi, Eri Klas and Pinchas Steinberg

He performed the world premiere of the Henry Cowell Harmonica Concerto with the Brooklyn Philharmonic and the West Coast premiere with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under conductor Lucas Foss. Robert Bonfiglio has appeared as a soloist with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, John Williams and the Boston Pops on PBS, John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, with Fabio Luisi and the MDR Orchestra at the Leipzig Gewandhaus and Theo Alcantara and the Buenos Aires Philharmonic at the Teatro Colón.

His first RCA recording, with Gerard Schwarz and the New York Chamber Orchestra, featuring the Villa-Lobos Harmonica Concerto, was released to critical acclaim; he has performed this Concerto over 350 times with major orchestras worldwide.

Robert has played chamber music with Ani Kavafian, Jeffrey Solow, Milton Thomas, Colin Carr, Kenneth Cooper, Benny Kim, Evan Wilson, Nathaniel Rosen, Clare Hoffman, the Mendelssohn, Lark and Miaimi String Quartets.

Robert Bonfiglio is playing contemporary music as well with American Composer, Paul Moravec, who just won the Pulitzer Prize for Composition, writing an American Harmonica Concerto for him. Lowell Liebermann is also writing a Harmonica Concerto to premiere in with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Robert has appeared on “CBS Sunday Morning,” “CBS Morning Show,” “Live with Regis and Kathy Lee,” “Larry King,” and Garrison Keillor’s “American Radio Show.” He has had feature stories and reviews in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune.

Robert Bonfiglio got his Masters degree in composition from Manhattan School of Music. He studied harmonica with Cham-ber Huang and was coached for 12 years by Andrew Lolya, the first flute of the New York City Ballet, during which time he studied the major works for harmonica and orchestra. Robert studied composition with Charles Wuorinen and Aaron Copland.

Robert Bonfiglio is the Founding Director of the Grand Canyon Music Festival.

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