Biography

Called "the Paganini of the Harmonica" by The Los Angeles Times, ROBERT BONFIGLIO has dazzled audiences at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Gewandhaus, Teatro Colón, Teatro Massimo, Kennedy Center, Boston Symphony Hall, Lincoln Center and throughout the world with his ability to play : Harmonica Concertos and turn right around and “sizzle” on the ‘blues. The reviewer at his GEWANDHAUS Debut said, "BONFIGLIO makes music: full of fire; noble."

Robert has appeared on “CBS Sunday Morning,” “CBS Morning Show,” “Live with Regis and Kathy Lee,” “Larry King,” "The Jim Bohannon Show" 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.

BONFIGLIO performed recent debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the National Symphony at Kennedy Center, the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Principado de Asturias and the Bochumer Symphoniker. He just finished his debut with the Louisville Orchestra - see reviews. Upcoming is a debut with the City of Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, Andrew Sewell conducting and a return engagement with the Orquesta Del Nuevo Mundo under Maestro Johannes Bruno Ullrich.

He performed the world premiere of the Henry Cowell Harmonica Concerto with the Brooklyn Philharmonic under conductor Lucas Foss and the West Coast premiere with David Alan Miller and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. 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.

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 has worked under such great conductors as Fabio Luisi, Eri Klas and Pinchas Steinberg, 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, Arthur Fagen, David Alan Miller and Marvin Hamlisch.

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. Bonfiglio has recorded on the RCA, Arista, CBS, Sina Qua Non, High Harmony, and QVC Labels. He performed on the Grammy winning recording, "Ragitme."

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 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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Personal Representative: conact Joseph Pastore, Jr at jpi@bestweb.net

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BONFIGLIO has performed Harmonica Concerti and Pops Concerts with the following orchestras:

Minnesota Orchestra

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Pittsburgh Symphony

Louisville Orchestra

Luxembourg Philharmonic

Hollywood Bowl Orchestra

Boston Pops

The National Symphony

New York Pops

Leipzig MDR-Radio Symphony

Orquesta Del Nuevo Mundo, Mexico City

Los Angeles Philharmonic

The Estonia National Symphony

Hong Kong Philharmonic

Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica

Indianapolis Symphony

Edmonton Symphony

Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec

Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá

Utah Symphony

Florida Philharmonic

Brooklyn Philharmonic

Boston Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra

Philharmonia Virtuosi

Oregon Symphony

Orquesta Sinfonica de Principado de Asturias

Grand Rapids Symphony

South Bend Symphony

Missouri Symphony

Wheeling Symphony

Fairbanks Symphony

Nittany Valley Symphony

Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie

Flagstaff Symphony

Tucson Symphony

Long Beach Symphony

Santa Barbara Symphony

Buffalo Philharmonic

Spokane Symphony

Interlochen Arts Festival Orchestra

Flagstaff Festival Orchestra

Little Orchestra Society of New York

Enid Symphony

Riverside Symphony (NY)

Queens Symphony

West Shore Symphony

Yakima Symphony

Knoxville Symphony

Riverside Philharmonic

Des Moines Symphony

Cedar Rapids Symphony

Nebraska Chamber Orchestra

Meridian Symphony

Jacksonville Symphony

Baton Rouge Symphony

Rapides Symphony

Charleston Symphony

Lake Charles Symphony

Nittany Valley Symphony

Symphony of the West Valley

Lubbock Symphony

Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra

Wurtburg Symphony

Midland Symphony

Albany Symphony (NY)

Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla

San Antonio Symphony

Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao

Charlotte Symphony

Brabant Philharmonic Orchestra

Wichita Symphony

Noordhollands Philharmonisch Orkest

Reading Symphony

Orquestra Sinfónica de Porto Alegre

Augusta Symphony

Het Gelders Orkest

Winston-Salem Symphony

Great Falls Symphony

Glacier Symphony

Walla Walla Symphony

Orquesta del Nuevo Mundo

Eugene Symphony

Noord Nederlands Orkest

Lincoln Symphony

Denver Chamber Orchestra

Allentown Symphony

Nebraska Chamber Orchestra

Rogue Valley Symphony

Albany Symphony (GA)

Virginia Beach Pops

Binghamton Philharmonic

Mexico City Philharmonic

Florida Orchestra

Rotterdam Philharmonic

Virginia Symphony

Buenos Aires Philharmonic of Teatro Colon

Madrid Radio Television Española Orchestra

New York Chamber Symphony

Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León

Puerto Rico Symphony

Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse

Milwaukee Symphony