Silvia Bolognesi was born in Siena, Italy.
She graduated in double bass at the Musical Conservatory “R. Franci ” in Siena with M ° Andrea Granai, while taking in parallel the double bass course held by M ° Alberto Bocini at the Musical Institute” G. Verdi “of Prato.
She started her career in jazz by attending courses held by the Siena Jazz Accademy with M ° Ferruccio Spinetti and attending summer seminars (1998-1999) studying with Furio di Castri, Ettore Fioravanti and Giancarlo Gazzani.
She attended the “European high qualification course for jazz performers” by studying with Furio di Castri, Mario Raia, Stefano Zenni and Francesco Martinelli (1999/2000), the “Trio Master Class” held by Stefano Battaglia, Paolino dalla Porta and Fabrizio Sferra and she was also part of the “Musical Research Lab” directed by Stefano Battaglia.
In 2003 she was selected to be part of Butch Morris‘s orchestra, with which she performed at the XIII edition of Roccella Jonica’s festival, again with Butch Morris she performed in 2010 in Conduction No. 192 “Possible Universe” for the XXV edition of the festival of Sant’Anna Arresi.
Next, Silvia
Since 2004 she has been leading several bands .
In 2010 she founds independent label Fonterossa Records of which she is founder, producer and curator.
She’s artist director of “Fonterossa Day” a venue part of Pisa Jazz Festival and she curates Fonterossa Open Orchestra Lab (workshop on “non conventional compositions” and improvisation) .
She’s the conductor and leader of the Fonterossa Orchestra.
In 2009 she started her collaboration with the trio Hear In Nowalong with Tomeka Reid (Chicago – U.S.A.) on cello and Mazz Swift (New York – U.S.A.) on violin and voice.
At the same time, a duo project was consolidated with the New York-based instrumentalist Sabir Mateen.
She collaborates with some of Nicole Mitchell‘s bands for her European tours (Black Heart Ensemble – Aperitivo in concerto at Teatro Manzoni 2012 and Nicole Mitchell’s quartet in 2015).
On the occasion of Festival Rumori nell’Isola, she performed in duo with the singer Maria Pia De Vitoin the Borbonic Prison of the Santo Stefano island, from which was released the DVD “Suoni dal Carcere”.
Lately she has been working with the singerDee Alexander(Chicago – U.S.A.) in both America and Europe.
In 2017 she joined Roscoe MitchellSextet, for a tribute to John Coltrane and she performed with Art Ensemble of Chicagoin UK.
She’e part of Art Ensemble of Chicago 50thanniversary group.
Silvia is winner of the “Top Jazz 2010″by the magazine Musica Jazz, as the best new talent, another magazine in the same year awarded her the “In Sound” trophyfor the double bass category.
Among the collaborations there are also dance companies: Company Blue, Ballo Pubblico and Virgilo Sieni dance company, with the latter and Francesco Giomi in electronics, representing the productions of “solo on tenderness”, “visitation”, “concert” – Lille in November 2004.
Numerous experiences in classical music with the orchestra of the Grosseto’s city and the orchestra R. Franci, repertoire for chamber music, symphonies and opera (Cavalleria Rusticana, The Barber of Seville, Madama Butterfly, …).
In theatre performances she has collaborated with David Riondino “La Buona Novella”, Marco Messeri and Liminalia theatre company for “Angeli ribelli”.
She is a professor of double bass, electric bass and combo class at Siena Jazz Accademy and at Mosaico Association of Colle Val d’Elsa, she teaches double bass and combo class at the SJU- Siena Jazz University courses.
Since 2016 she has been part of the “European exchange – Erasmus +” program with the Conservatory of Maastricht (Holland) and Tbilisi (Georgia).
She has held workshops on improvisation and “conduction” since 2008.
She has been performing in several festivals as:
Sant’Anna Arresi Jazz, Vignola Jazz in IT, Roccella Ionica festival, Clusone Jazz, Teano Jazz, Aperitivo In Concerto, Lucca Jazz Donna, “Festival Au Desert” (FI), San Vito Jazz Festival, Festival “Emilia Concerti sul Prato”, Pisa Jazz, Jazz On the Road, Metastasio Jazz, Musicastrada Festival, Lugo Contemporanea, Udine Jazz, Jazz Flirt Festival, CrossRoads, Festival, Festival Rumori dell’Isola, Woma Jazz Festival, Novara Jazz Festival, Festival Ah-Um, La Spezia international Jazz Festival, Madrid Jazz Festival (Spagna), Bansko jazz festival (Bulgaria), Jazz Cerkno (Slovenia), Poznan “Made in Chicago” (Polonia), “Onna Jazz” (Tokyo)..
She has had the pleasure to collaborate with: Ernie Adams, Dee Alexander, Lewis Barnes, Gianni Basso, Jean Paul Bourelly, Joe Bowie, Fabrizio Bosso, Rob Brown, Cristiano Calcagnile, Domenico Caliri, Stefano ”Cocco” Cantini, Roberto Cecchetto, Francesco Cusa, Vincent Davis, Ernest Dawkins, Miquel De La Cerna, Maria Pia De Vito, Hamid Drake, Dimitri Grechi Espinoza, Garrison Fewell, Ettore Fioravanti, Tiziana Ghiglioni, Nico Gori, Mauro Grossi, Jason Hwang, Tristan Honsinger, Pasquale Innarella, Paul Jeffrey, Fred Lonberg Holm, Stefano Maltese, Sabir Mateen, Laurence Butch Morris, David Murray, Nicole Mitchell, Evan Parker, Francesco Petreni, Fabrizio Puglisi, Enrico Rava, Scott Reeves, Ernest Reisenger, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Alan Silva, Achille Succi, Marco Tamburini,Les Tartit, Chad Taylor, John Tchicai, Pietro Tonolo,Gianluigi Trovesi, Ken Vandermark, Ed Wilkinson, Michael Zerangand many others.
