Flavio Ferri Benedetti was born in Scandiano, Reggio Emilia (Northern Italy) in March 1983. He was attracted early by music and singing, to the extent that he decided to learn to read music on his own at age 9, helped by a middle-school music textbook. He also approached opera for the first time, after "accidentally" listening to a vinyl LP of Joan Sutherland's performance of "Regnava nel silenzio" from Lucia di Lammermoor.

At age 11, he left Italy with his parents and brother and settled in eastern Spain. Here he would finally have a chance to study music properly: he started studying piano and music theory at 11, at the local conservatory, while he completed his elementary-middle school grades and entered High School in 1996, at 13. He passed his A-Levels in 2000 with honours in Latin, Ancient Greek, English, Spanish History and Art History. He was also awarded the High School Regional Award. Flavio received full marks in Piano, Analysis, Music Theory and Harmony/Counterpoint, during his piano years. He got his Piano Middle-Grade (10 years) Diploma in June 2004.

This was combined with his University studies. In June 2005 he received his MA 5-year degree in Translation Studies (English, Spanish, German and Catalan). Flavio began his Classical Philology studies in Valencia, in the meanwhile, completing the first year with the highest marks. He works occasionally as a translator (Italian, Spanish, English, Catalan, German and Latin).

After years of self-training he started receiving voice lessons at the local conservatory with soprano Marián Torres, during the 2002-2003 academic year. Flavio has also been studying with German tenor Achim Schulz Anderson and countertenor Sergio Iglesias in Alicante between 2003 and 2004. He has studied between 2005 and 2006 with Spanish soprano María de los Llanos in Valencia. He has also attended several baroque summer courses from 2000 to 2004, with professors such as David Thomas, Jennifer Smith, Nancy Argenta, Ian Partridge, Gerd Türk and Mark Padmore. In March 2006, Flavio was awarded the First Velluti Award in Velluti's birthtown (Corridonia, Italia) - as young promising countertenor. He has been doing concerts and recitals in Spain and Italy since 2000 as an alto soloist, in works by Mozart, Charpentier, Handel, Vivaldi...

Flavio had his operatic debut in October 2007 with Stradella's "Il Barcheggio" in Basel, with the Ensemble Musica Fiorita conducted by Daniela Dolci. In August 2008 he sang the role of Madama Garbata in the opera Arcifanfano Re dei Matti by B. Galuppi in Germany and Switzerland.

Flavio was admitted in June 2006 to begin his Baroque and Renaissance studies at the Schola Cantorum in Basel (Switzerland) with professor Gerd Türk. In July 2008 he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Early Music (specialization Baroque Singing), with Distinction (Auszeichnung) - and will continue with the Master of Arts during 2008-2010.

Academic Education