BIOGRAPHY
About the Artist
In the quartet's performance of Donizetti's 'Una furtiva lagrima', an arrangment of one of the most famous tenor arias, the 17 year old Elena Comelli performed the solo part with such finesse and grace that it actually brought true 'lagrime' to some members of the audience. It was a remarkable performance" from " The Double Reed" vol. 32 n. 4.
This early review captures the essence of Elena Comelli's dedication to the bassoon. Elena is an accomplished bassoonist with a distinguished international career, currently based in Manchester, UK. Her unwavering dedication to the bassoon has led to collaborations with some of the world's most prestigious orchestras and esteemed soloists.
Since 2016, she has held the position of Co-Principal Bassoon (No. 2) with the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, maintaining a vibrant and active freelance career concurrently. Prior to her appointment with the Hallé, she served as Second Bassoon with the Royal Danish Theatre for a full season.
Elena's freelance engagements have seen her perform as Principal Bassoon with renowned ensembles including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Oxford Philharmonic. Her experience as Second Bassoon is equally extensive, encompassing collaborations with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra (London), CBSO, RLPO, Teatro Regio (Turin), Mozarteum Orchestra (Salzburg), Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Danish Radio), and Flemish Opera, among others.
These orchestral engagements have afforded her the opportunity to perform in some of the world's most celebrated concert halls, such as the Musikverein (Vienna), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Carnegie Hall (New York), and Royal Albert Hall (London). She has had the privilege of working under the baton of distinguished conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Sir Mark Elder, Christoph Eschenbach, Kent Nagano, Valery Gergiev, Gianandrea Noseda, and Daniel Harding.
Her orchestral training was solidified through formative experiences with the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (2015-2016), Pacific Music Festival (Japan, 2015), Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, and Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée.
Elena is also passionate about chamber music, having performed in various ensembles and concert series with the Hallé Concert Series, Royal Danish Theatre concert series, Manchester Collective and others. She was a member of the Quartetto Acero, a bassoon quartet founded by her mentor Giorgio Versiglia, with whom she toured the USA at the age of 17, delivering masterclasses at the University of Boston and the University of New Hampshire. The quartet released a CD of their own arrangements through Edizioni Carish (Milan).
Her musical education began in Bergamo, Italy, under the tutelage of Giorgio Versiglia at the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato G. Donizetti, where she commenced her bassoon studies at the age of 11. Following her graduation with highest honors, she pursued advanced studies with Marco Postinghel at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole (Florence) before moving to Germany to study with Professor Ole Kristian Dahl at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim, where she earned her Master of Music with distinction.
In addition to her performance career, Elena is a dedicated educator, having served as Bassoon Tutor at Chetham's School of Music (Manchester) from 2017 to 2024. She has also given masterclasses at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester).
Elena performs on a 13,000 series Heckel bassoon.