Orchestra Teatro alla Scala & Filarmonica della Scala
Giuseppe Ettorre was a permanent member of the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra and Filarmonica in Milan from 1987 to 2025, serving as principal double bass from 1991. He studied at the Liceo Musicale in Forlì with Leonello Godoli, later refining his skills in Cremona (Accademia Stauffer) and Siena (Accademia Chigiana) under the guidance of Franco Petracchi. In 1989, he was awarded at the Bottesini Competition in Parma, and in 1991, he won the ARD International Competition in Munich.
Among his various recordings, the Sextet CD stands out, featuring sixteen of his own compositions, influenced by jazz and new age. In this context, he performed in a quintet with Bobby McFerrin and in a trio with Stefano Bollani during a concert with the Filarmonica della Scala conducted by Riccardo Chailly. In the chamber music field, he has collaborated, among others, with the Sextet of the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Borodin Quartet, the Quartetto della Scala, and the Trio di Parma.
For many years, he has been performing in a duo with pianist Pierluigi Di Tella, a former classmate from the Liceo Musicale in Forlì, presenting recitals featuring repertoire from the great double bass tradition, expanded with transcriptions of works originally composed for other instruments. He pays particular attention to contemporary music, performing pieces by, among others, Sciarrino, Berio, Stockhausen and Nicola Sani, who recently dedicated a composition for double bass and piano to him, “Omaggio al Progressivo”, which was premiered at the Teatro alla Scala in November 2024.
His acquaintance and friendship with the great double bassist Thomas Martin (historical principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra and a refined soloist) led him to deepen his instrumental technique and approach Bottesini’s works with a philological perspective. He has performed most of Bottesini’s compositions in public, making him one of the most sought-after interpreters of the composer today.
Among the various orchestras with which he has performed as a soloist are the Filarmonica della Scala, the Orchestra of the Arena di Verona, the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchestra, and the OSPA Orchestra of Porto Alegre.
He teaches in Milan at the Scuola Musicale di Milano and holds masterclasses in Italy and around the world. Since 2016, he has been a faculty member at the Advanced Courses of the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. In September 2017, he was also appointed Visiting International Teacher at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
He plays a double bass made by Custode Marcucci (Sant’Agata sul Santerno, c. 1891).