About
Born in 1974, he started to play cello when he was five, under his father’s guide. After the graduation at Conservatorio di Milano, he studied in Basel with T. Demenga, in Brescia with M . Brunello and in Cremona with R. Filippini.
Since year 2000 he is the solo principal cellist in Teatro alla Scala of Milan.
In 2007 he played Vivaldi double cello concerto with Bobby Mc Ferrin.
He also played as principal as solo principal cellist with London Symphony Orchestra in 2008, and with World Orchestra for Peace, conductor V. Gergiev, in 2006 and 2007.
As soloist, he played with italian and japanese orchestras performing several of the the most important classic solo cello concertos, as Dvorak, Don Quixote, Saint Saens , Haydn.
He is a performer of italian cello repertoire, both chamber music of 18th century sonatas (Vivaldi, Valentini,Marcello and so on) and as soloist of italian solo cello repertoire with string orchestra ( Rossini, Bragato).
He has recently composed several short pieces for solo cello and cello and piano.
He plays a wonderful 1692 Francesco Ruggieri cello called “il Per”, made in Cremona, kindly borrowed from an italian foundation, and a Carlo Antonio Testore, Milano 1730, when he plays old italian repertoire.
In 1998, as winner of the competition, Sandro Laffranchini was the first cello of the Orchestra of S. Cecilia in Rome, permanent director of M ° Chung. He has given concerts as a soloist with the RAI orchestras, Angelicum, Sinigonica Marchigiana, Siciliana, Sinfonica di Osaka, Orchestra della Lombardia and with the "Archi della Scala" - with the latter he recorded the concert in Re mag. by Haydn. In 2000 Sandro Laffranchini was chosen by Maestro Muti as the First Cello soloist of the Orchestra of the Theater and of the Philharmonic at La Scala, starting an intense activity all over the world. He won first prizes in the international chamber music competitions of Stresa, Pinerolo; he also obtained scholarships from the Rotary Club and the 1999 Stradivari competition for cello (the only Italian awarded).
Performs concert activity in duo with pianist Andrea Rebaudengo and in various chamber ensembles.
Since 2000, first place in the international competition for permanent positions held by the Teatro alla Scala, Sandro Laffranchini has played the role of Principal Cello soloist of the Orchestra del Teatro and of the Filarmonica della Scala. He has given concerts as a soloist with the RAI orchestras, Angelicum, Marchigiana Symphony, Umbria Philharmonic, Sicilian Philharmonic, Osaka Symphony, Orchestra of Lombardy, Cantelli, Symphony of Aosta, with The Arches of La Scala and I Virtuosi della Scala.
In May 2007, with music composed on commission, his first solo cello cd was presented at the Brescia Conservatory, in a project that includes sculptures and poetry.
With the cellists group of La Scala and Giovanni Sollima, he carries out activities in important Italian musical seasons, performing new compositions and experiments with contaminations from modern music.
From 1998 to 1999, as the winner of the competition for the first cello, Sandro Laffranchini held this position in the Orchestra of S. Cecilia in Rome, permanent conductor of the Master Chung. He won first prizes in the international chamber music competitions of Stresa, Pinerolo, Rotary Club of Milan and was awarded at the "Stradivari Competition 1999" for cello. In 2004, a live cd in duo with pianist Andrea Rebaudengo was honored at the "The Web Music Competition" in New York.
With the Trio di Archi dei Solisti della Scala Sandro Laffranchini has performed in Italy, New York, Japan and continues his activity in Italy and Germany. In summer 2005, invited by Maestro Valery Gergiev to be part of the First Cello soloist of the World Peace Orchestra, formed by the first parts of the most prestigious orchestras around the world, he participated in a tour that touched London, Berlin, Moscow and Beijing . In September 2007 he will participate in a new tour in Brussels, Amsterdam and London.
Among the unusual destinations touched on in the various solo concerts, we point out the tour in Siberia in June 2006 (re-invited for 2007), where Sandro Laffranchini participated in the festival with the Krasnoyarsk Orchestra (Russia) and the concerts with the Trio of the Soloists of the Scala held in India in Bombay in 2005.
It is worth mentioning the 2007 concerts in Ghana and Morocco.
He plays a cello by Franceso Ruggieri from Cremona, known as Il Per, from 1690, kindly granted in use by a private foundation.