Oboist Alfredo Bernardini is not only co-founder and director of Ensemble Zefiro, he is also a soloist in several renowned baroque orchestras around the world: his performances have taken him to the USA, Russia, Canada, China, Japan, Israel, Egypt, South America, Australia and numerous European countries. He has worked with Hespèrion XXI, Le Concert des Nations, La Petite Bande, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, The English Concert, the Bach Collegium Japan, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble, among others. Born in Rome, he studied early music at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and taught in Amsterdam from 1992 to 2015. From 2002 to 2008, he was a professor at the Escola Superior de Musica de Cataluña in Barcelona. Since 2014, he has been professor of historical oboe at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg. He is a guest lecturer at universities in various countries and teaches numerous masterclasses. He is featured on over 100 CD recordings, received the Cannes Classical Award for his recordings of Vivaldi's oboe concertos in 1995 and the Diapason d'or for Handel's Fireworks Music with the Ensemble Zefiro in 2009, as well as numerous other international awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque, Choc de l'année du Monde de la Musique, Editor's Choice and Classic Disco del Mese. Last but not least, as a baroque oboe specialist, Bernardini also takes a very practical approach to his instrument and builds replicas of historical oboes.