Alessandro Magini was born in 1955 in Vernio, located in the Tuscan Apennines near Florence. His musical education began in Florence, where he studied piano and organ under Robert Pichini. He further honed his skills by attending masterclasses led by Paul von Schilhawsky, the Director Emeritus of the Salzburg Mozarteum, focusing on piano performance practices within the lieder repertoire. Magini graduated with honors in Musical Dramaturgy from the University of Bologna, studying under Lorenzo Bianconi and Thomas Walker, and also completed his composition studies at the Conservatory of Bologna with Alessandro Solbiati. He later graduated with honors from the Advanced Course in Composition at the International Music Academy of Novara. His education was complemented by masterclasses and seminars with notable composers such as F. Donatoni, A. Clementi, G. Petrassi, N. Castiglioni, G. Manzoni, G. Ligeti, and L. Berio. He has performed extensively as a piano accompanist and organist.
As both a composer and researcher, Magini has concentrated on the interplay between music and experimental theater. In 1999, he was appointed to the chair of Musical Dramaturgy and Musicology at the National Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome, a position he has held since then. His work in theater composition includes collaborations with directors like Josè Sanchez Sinisterra, Piotr Fomenko, and Marcello Bartoli, as well as partnerships with institutions such as the Teatro Metastasio Stabile of Tuscany and Laboratory Riuniti in Rome.
In 2000, Magini joined the executive council of the “National Committee for the Celebration of the Fourth Centenary of the Birth of the Opera,” organized by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture in collaboration with the Teatro Comunale of Florence and Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale in Florence, among others.
By 2003, he became the artistic coordinator of the Centre Magnolfinuovo Prato, which focuses on training and production in contemporary musical drama. Additionally, he serves as the director of the Centro Bardi, which is dedicated to the study of experimental music from the Florentine Renaissance (Camerata dei Bardi). His research often emphasizes the “sound of the word,” and he has published several studies in academic journals. Many of his compositions have been performed in historically significant venues, including the National Central Library of Florence, the Marucelliana Library of Florence, the Accademia della Crusca, the Casanatense Library in Rome, the National Library of Vienna, and the Opera di Santa Croce in Florence.
Magini has composed numerous melologues for Chamber Theatre and recently collaborated with philosopher Sergio Givone to create a musical adaptation of Givone's novel, “In nome di un Dio barbaro,” featuring cello, guitar, and narrator.
In recent years, he has focused on composing works for the accordion, both as a solo instrument and in duos with various instruments, including cello, organ, guitar, flute, piano, oboe, and mandolin. His collaborators in this area include I. Battiston, F. Gesualdi, D. Bellugi, F. Dillon, M. Barrera, L. Attademo, S. Malferrari, A. Avital, and L. Bagnoli. The accordion features prominently in two of his latest works: “Le storie di San Silvestro. Una sacra rappresentazione” (mezzo-soprano, narrator, accordion duo) for the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, and “Naviglio-fantasma” (baritone, accordion, oboe) for the exhibition “Futurism in Calabrian music” at the University of Calabria.
Magini is a member of the Italian Academy of Cinema for the David di Donatello Awards. His works are published by Edizioni Musicali Berben and are also available digitally through EMA Vinci Records.
