Biography
"Andrea Oliva is one of the best flute players of his generation, a shining star in the flute world" - This is how Sir James Galway describes the Principal Flute of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, a position he has held since 2003.
Born in Modena, he graduated with top honors from the "Vecchi-Tonelli" Conservatory in Modena under the guidance of Gabriele Betti, later refining his skills with Claudio Montafia, Michele Marasco, Glauco Cambursano, Jean-Claude Gérard, Michael Hasel, Andreas Blau, and Sir James Galway.
A former member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester (conducted by Abbado, Ozawa, and Boulez), he attended the Herbert von Karajan Academy and was invited, at just 23 years old, as guest Principal Flute of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of prestigious conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Mariss Jansons, and Bernard Haitink.
Among his numerous prizes won in the most important flute competitions, he won first prize at the Kobe International Competition (2005) and third prize at the ARD International Competition in Munich (2004). His concert activity has taken him to perform in some of the world's most important venues: Carnegie Hall in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in London in the presence of Queen Elizabeth, Wigmore Hall, Philharmonie Berlin, KKL Lucerne, Palau de la Música in Valencia, Hong Kong Academy. He has also performed in Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Chile, Canada, Argentina, and Cuba.
Personally invited by Claudio Abbado, he played with the Orchestra Mozart di Bologna and collaborated as a teacher at the Orchestra's Academy. As principal flute, he collaborates with numerous orchestras such as the Bayerische Rundfunk, Bamberger Symphoniker, NDR Hamburg, Human Rights Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He has performed several times as a soloist with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Christopher Hogwood, Myung-Whun Chung, and Antonio Pappano.
In 2012, he performed the Italian premiere of Marc-André Dalbavie's flute concerto conducted by Manfred Honeck, and in 2025 he was soloist conducted by Kirill Petrenko (Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante) in Rome and at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Since 2026, he holds an Interimsprofessur at the Hochschule für Musik Düsseldorf.
He is a member and founder of the Santa Cecilia and Tonhalle Wind Quintet and "I Cameristi di Santa Cecilia", ensembles with which he regularly performs throughout Europe.
Credits: Accademia di Santa Cecilia/MUSA
A leading figure in the international music scene, Oliva is often invited to be part of the jury of prestigious international competitions, including the S. Gazzelloni International Competition, the C. Nielsen Competition, the Kobe International Flute Competition, the International Flute Competition in Varna, and many others.
A highly sought-after and appreciated teacher, he is currently Principal Flute Professor at the University School of Music of the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano; since 2019 he has collaborated as Visiting Professor at the RNCM in Manchester and from 2026 he holds the same role at the Conservatory of the Balearic Islands. In Italy, he is a teacher at the "Seminars for orchestra instrumentalists" of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and Visiting Professor at Modena-Carpi Conservatory and Accademia di Imola.
He has recorded numerous CDs including Bach Flute Sonatas with pianist A. Hewitt for "Hyperion" (earning the prestigious Best iTunes 2013 award), as a soloist conducted by D. Rustioni with the Orchestra della Toscana (Ghedini's Concerto) for "Sony". He also records for "Decca", "Aulicus Classics" and "Da Vinci Records". His arrangements for flute and other instruments are scores published by "Da Vinci Edition".
Always attentive to supporting young people, he is the creator and Artistic Director of the International Competitions for awarding scholarships to young talents "Gabriele Betti" (Modena-Reggio E.) and "Conrad Klemm" (Lugano). Since 2025 he has been part of the Board of Directors of the Orchestra Sinfonica d'Este in Ferrara and since 2026 he has been awarded the title of honorary president by the Calabrian flutists association.
His concerts are broadcast worldwide on Stingray Classic and on RAI 5 TV.