SIXE Quartet

Andrea Oliva has been Principal Flute of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since 2003. In 2005, he made history as the first Italian flutist to win First Prize at the prestigious Kobe International Competitionand also secured Third Prize at the ARD Competition in Munich. These achievements marked the beginning of a distinguished career that has led him to perform on the world’s most renowned concert stages and festivals. Oliva has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (Hamburg), Human Rights Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. A former member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester, he also trained at the Herbert von Karajan Academy. At just 23, he was invited to perform as Guest Principal Flute with the Berliner Philharmoniker, working under esteemed conductors including Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Sakari Oramo, Mariss Jansons, and Bernard Haitink. At the invitation of Claudio Abbado, Oliva also served as Principal Flute of the Orchestra Mozart. As a soloist, he has performed on multiple occasions with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, under the direction of Christopher Hogwood, Myung-Whun Chung, and Sir Antonio Pappano. A dedicated chamber musician, he is a founding member of both the Italian Wind Quintet and I Cameristi di Santa Cecilia. In addition to his performance career, he is Professor of Flute at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana.

Graduated with highest honors from the Conservatorio “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan. From 1992 to 2000, he was a member of the "Ottorino Respighi" study group at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, where he refined his artistry. He made his solo debut in 1990 at Milan’s Sala Verdi, performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major with the RAI Milan Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Delman. Since then, he has enjoyed an illustrious career as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing across Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Egypt. Arosio has shared the stage with distinguished artists such as Bruno Giuranna, Mario Ancillotti, Roger Bobo, Joseph Alessi, Martin Hackleman, Allen Vizzutti, Philip Smith, Alain Trudel, and Velvet M. Brown. From 1992 to 1996, he was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra. His collaborations extend to major orchestras, including I Pomeriggi Musicali, the Orchestra Verdi of Milan, the Orchestra Stabile di Bergamo, the Orchestra of Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. A prolific recording artist, he has recorded for Rivista Amadeus, Sax Records, Rivo Alto, Ediclass, Rainbow, and Cristal. His performances have also been broadcast on RAI, SSDRS Zurich, Radio France, RNE Madrid, Deutschlandradio Berlin, and BBC London.

Anita Mazzantini holds the position of Assistant Principal Double Bass with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She began her musical studies at the age of eight at the Istituto Musicale “Pietro Mascagni” in Livorno, later continuing at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, where she earned her diploma at just 17 years old. In recognition of her artistic achievements, she was awarded the Benemerita Honor for Art and Culture by the President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. She has collaborated with some of the world’s most esteemed orchestras, including the ensembles of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Regio di Parma, Orchestra della Fondazione Toscanini di Parma, I Virtuosi Italiani, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Mozart, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Les Dissonances in Paris. From 2003 to 2006, she was Principal Double Bass of the Festival Strings Lucerne, touring across Europe, Thailand, Turkey, North and South America. Since 2018, she has been Professor of Double Bass at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole. She performs on a Giuseppe Baldantoni double bass (Ancona, 1867).

Andrea Santarsiere pursued his musical studies at the Conservatorio “Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa” in Potenza and further refined his artistry in Amsterdam under the guidance of Jan Pustjens, Gustavo Gimeno, Lorenzo Ferrandiz and Nik Woud of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He was later selected as a percussionist for both the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana and the European Union Youth Orchestra. In 2004, he was invited to join Orchestra Mozart, collaborating with Claudio Abbado and Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Two years later, in 2006, he won First Prize at the International Bari Competition for Solo Snare Drum. Alongside his expertise in classical percussion, he has honed his skills as a drummer, studying with Alfredo Golino, Maurizio Dei Lazzaretti, and Agostino Marangolo, and participating in numerous masterclasses with world-renowned drummers. He has been invited to perform with esteemed orchestras, including the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2009, he has been a percussionist with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. In the 2023–2024 season, he also served as Professor of Percussion at the Conservatorio “Umberto Giordano” in Rodi Garganico.