Fabio Cesare (b. 1995) is an Italian saxophonist and composer, Henri Selmer Paris Artist and JLV Sound Paris
Ambassador.
After graduating with honors from the Nicola Sala Conservatory in Benevento under the guidance of Paolo
Rigliari(2016), he continued his studies in France at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg with Philippe Geiss, earning the
mention très bien avec félicitations du jury. In 2020, he completed a Master’s Degree in Chamber Music at the Haute
École des Arts du Rhin, as a member of the Quatuor Avena, further developing his passion for composition. At the
same time, he pursued jazz studies with Michael Alizon

He has honed his artistry through masterclasses with internationally acclaimed saxophonists including Arno
Bornkamp, Federico Mondelci, Mario Marzi, Nobuya Sugawa, Vincent David, Jean-Denis Michat, Hiroshi Hara,
Philippe Geiss, Masataka Hirano, Joonatan Rautiola, Jean-Pierre Caens, Derek Brown, and Baptiste Herbin.

A winner of fourteen national and international awards, Cesare has received major recognition at prestigious
competitions such as the Prix d’Honneur at the Leopold Bellan Competition (Paris), the Prix de la Ville de Boulogne
Billancourt and Prix spécial de l’APEC at the Musique de chambre des XXème et XXIème siècles
Competition(Paris), the First Prize and Kazuo Tomioka Special Prize at the Kurashiki International Competition
(Japan), and the Second Prize and Audience Award at the 24th Gaetano Zinetti International Music Competition
(Verona).

His concert activity has taken him to renowned venues and festivals across Europe, Asia, and Africa, including the
Teatro di San Carlo (Naples), the Philharmonie de Luxembourg, the Festival Radio France Occitanie
Montpellier, the Mozart Festival in Pravets (Bulgaria), and the World Saxophone Congress in Croatia. He has also
appeared several times at the European Parliament in Strasbourg for official ceremonies.

With the Quatuor Avena, Cesare has undertaken three major international tours: in Japan (2018)—featuring concerts
and academic collaborations culminating in the ensemble’s victory at the Kurashiki International Competition—and in
South Africa (2019 and 2025), where he performed and led masterclasses at several international institutions.

He has been the dedicatee of numerous world premieres, including Quintet for Alto Saxophone and String Quartet by
Gilles Arcens, Massar by Jean-Charles Richard (for Quatuor Avena), and Stabat Mater by Gaetano Panariello (for
Airang Ensemble and Coro della Pietà dei Turchini, Naples). As a composer, he has collaborated with Philippe Geiss
and Christophe Formeau on a forthcoming collection to be published by Éditions Henry Lemoine, consolidating his
reputation both as an interpreter and a creator of new repertoire for the saxophone.

Since 2015, Cesare has collaborated with the Orchestra Filarmonica di Benevento, and since 2017 with the
Orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, performing under the batons of Zubin Mehta, Antonio Pappano,
Daniel Oren, Dan Ettinger, Juraj Valčuha, Timothy Brock, Vello Pähn, Paul Connelly, Elio Boncompagni,
Alberto Nanetti, Francesco Ivan Ciampa, and many others.

His recordings include Massar (with Quatuor Avena, Indésens Calliope Records, 2023); Libellula (Klarthe,
September 2025), featuring his own original compositions; and Tosca (Da Vinci Classics, June 2026), recorded with
ProgettOpera, an ensemble he co-founded with six saxophonists and a percussionist.

Alongside his performing career, Cesare maintains an active teaching profile. Since 2015 he has served as assistant to
Paolo Rigliari at the Nicola Sala Conservatory in Benevento. He has given international masterclasses at the
Conservatories of Gap and Nancy (France), the Harare International School (Zimbabwe), and the School of Music at
North-West University (South Africa). He has also taught at the Leonardo Da Vinci Deutsch-Italienische Schule in
Munich and at several academies in France. Since 2025, he has been Professor of Saxophone at the Fausto Torrefranca
Conservatory in Vibo Valentia.