Riccardo Pes
Cellist • Composer
Riccardo Pes
Cellist • Composer
Classical music shaped by landscape, science and place
Biography
Riccardo Pes is an Italian cellist, composer, and conductor whose work brings together classical tradition, contemporary creation, and a strong interdisciplinary vision. A graduate with distinction of the Royal College of Music in London, he has developed an artistic path that combines solo performance, chamber music, composition, and projects inspired by landscape, science, and cultural identity.
He is a perfect combination of knowledge, technical skills,
natural lyricism, fluent sound and fine musical instinct.
Giovanni Sollima
Performance
As a soloist, Riccardo Pes has performed major concerto repertoire with orchestras in Italy and abroad, including the Schumann Cello Concerto with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Tartini’s Cello Concerto in A major with I Solisti Veneti conducted by Claudio Scimone, and concertos by Nicola Fiorenza and Nicola Porpora with the Marchigiana Philharmonic Orchestra under Marco Feruglio.
More recently, he performed Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Hemel Symphony Orchestra and Respighi’s Adagio con variazioni with the Whitehall Orchestra, both conducted by Claudio Di Meo.
His concert activity has brought him to important venues and festivals including the Royal Albert Hall (Elgar Room), Kings Place, Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Royal Academy of Arts, Venice Biennale, Triennale Milano, Mittelfest, and I Suoni delle Dolomiti.
As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with artists such as Mario Brunello, Giovanni Sollima, Gilles Apap, Madeleine Mitchell, and Thomas Zehetmair.
Composition
Composition plays an important role in his artistic identity. He began his studies in composition with Mario Pagotto and Battista Pradal, and was later admitted to the composition classes of Fabio Nieder in Trieste and Riccardo Vaglini in Venice.
His output includes works for wind orchestra, symphony orchestra, string orchestra, solo cello, violin and string orchestra, percussion trio, and mixed chamber ensembles. Particularly drawn to writing for strings and for the cello as a solo and narrative voice, he combines acoustic writing with a strong curiosity for electronics, often incorporating loops and loop station into his creative process.
His music is published by Casa Musicale Sonzogno in Milan.
Projects & Vision
A distinctive aspect of Riccardo Pes’s artistic voice is the dialogue between music, nature, science, and place.
This has led to projects such as:
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QUBIT — original compositions inspired by physics and astrophysics
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Sgrìobandìomhair / Mystic Trails — inspired by Scotland, memory, and landscape
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Sycamore Gap Tree — an internationally recognised poetic and environmental tribute
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Cello Solo Draws Attention to Climate Change — Arts Council England supported residency
He also performs in duo with pianist Pierluigi Piran, with whom he recorded the album Degenerate Music.
Media Recognition
His artistic work has received media attention in Italy and abroad, with interviews, broadcasts, and features on:
Artistic Projects & Collaborations
Riccardo Pes is the founder and director of Orchestra d’Archi Blanc, where he combines the roles of soloist, ensemble leader, and artistic guide.
Alongside his performance activity, he also curates wider musical projects and serves as artistic director of the Blanc European Festival and the Biancospino Music Festival.
Awards
He has received several prizes in international competitions, including First Prize in the concerto category and Second Prize in the recital category at the Richmond Festival Competition.
