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About me
Born in L'Aquila in 1988, Nicola Rizzo is a jazz flautist , composer and flute teacher with a solid classical education and an international career between Italy , France and the United Kingdom .
He graduated in flute at the “Cesare Pollini” Conservatory of Padua under the guidance of Maestro Lucia Rizzello , and then broadened his artistic path by deepening his knowledge of the language of jazz and musical improvisation.
He continued his training by obtaining a Master's degree in Music Production at the CPM – Centro Professione Musica in Milan , studying with Massimo Colombo , Fabio Nuzzolese , Sandro Mussida and Diego Maggi .
Subsequently he obtained a second level Master's degree in Jazz Music at the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory in Como , under the guidance of
Maestro Riccardo Luppi.
In 2013 , he moved to Paris, where he began an intense teaching and artistic career. He taught classical and jazz flute at the Lionel André School of Music and the César Franck School of Music, distinguishing himself as a jazz and classical flute teacher and a mentor to young musicians. During the same period, he served as conductor and orchestral arranger at the Le Plessis-Trévise and La Queue-en-Brie Conservatories.
In 2016 he held a jazz flute masterclass at the Conservatoire de Chamonix (France) and the “Tito Schipa” Conservatory in Lecce, consolidating his reputation as a teacher specialized in jazz improvisation applied to the flute.
During his stay in Paris, he founded the Nicola Rizzo 4et, with which he released his debut album, “Salam,” in 2014. His second album, “So What,” featuring pianist Lucas Belkhiri, was released in 2017.
In 2016, in collaboration with the Parisian pianist and composer Nicolas Cornil, he composed the original soundtrack for the short film “Mohammed Le Prénom” by Malika Zairi, presented at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and subsequently at the New York International Film Festival.
In 2018 he moved to London, where he continued his activity as a private jazz flute teacher and founded the Nicola Rizzo London Trio together with Colombian guitarist Oscar David and Catalan bassist Mirea Carbonell Gonzalez.
In 2019, he published the book "Nicola Rizzo – Jazz Flute Daily Workout Vol. 1," published by Workin' Label and written in English. The method, dedicated to the study of jazz improvisation for flute, was born from his teaching experience and is distributed internationally. The volume was reviewed by Stefano Benini in the international quarterly magazine Falaut (Falaut No. 85 – April/June 2020), becoming a reference for jazz flutists and musicians.
He has also been a guest on important radio and web programs, including:
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“Talking Flutes” by Trevor James Flutes (London, UK), episode 161 “You can do more in jazz by playing less!” – 03 May 2021
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“Anima Jazz” by Bruno Pollacci, Punto Radio, Pisa (Italy)
An active concert performer, Nicola Rizzo has performed at numerous concerts and festivals in Italy, France, and England.
In 2020, he released his third album, "Flute Sketches," on Workin' Label, officially presented on November 3, 2021, at the renowned Sunset Sunside Jazz Club.
Since 2021 he has been a Jazz Flute teacher at the “Giacomo Puccini” Conservatory in La Spezia.
He currently lives in Milan, where he continues his artistic career as the leader of his own musical projects, combining his concert career with an intense teaching activity dedicated to the training of new jazz musicians.