Sara Minelli
Sara Minelli , " clearly a formidable exponent of the contemporary flute repertoire " ( Music Web International ) and " a virtuoso player with real mastery of avant- garde technique " ( British Music Society )
"carving out a reputation amongst world leaders in the interpretation of contemporary music" (the Flute Journal)
is an Italian flautist based in London since 2011.
She is a versatile musician with a wide repertoire, extensive experience in performing New Music and a growing reputation for exquisite live performances.
Her debut solo album, New Resonances, was released in 2018 with critical acclaim, appearing in important magazines, such as Pan, the Journal of the British Flute Society and the Guardian.
In 2022, Sara's next album, Where Song Was Born, has been successfully released on the Metier label (UK), with excellent reviews from the British Music Society, The Flute Journal, Web Music International, Fanfare (US). The album is a new cycle of Australian bird portraits by Edward Cowie for flute and piano, dedicated to Sara and pianist Roderick Chadwick.
Sara loves improvising and she recently released on Sargasso an album of improvised music for flutes and synthesizers with Daniel Biro.
Sara is highly regarded as a solo performer and has played extensively in the UK, including at London Contemporary Music Festival, Fairfield Halls, Kings Place, Little Missenden Festival, the National Gallery, Handel House, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge University, London College of Music, WFMS, St Barnabas etc. Her solo international performances include Vox Feminae Festival (Israel), Klangspuren Festival (Austria), Les Moments Musicaux de la Touraine (France), Pontino Festival, Sala Puccini, Milan, (Italy,
In August 2026 Sara has toured Lithuania with pianist Jelena Makarova in a series of concerts for flute and piano in Vilnius, Trakai, Nida, supported by the Lithuanian Council of Culture , including at the XXII Tarptautinis Musikos Festivalis and Thomas Mann Cultural Centre.
She has worked with the internationally acclaimed RIOT Ensemble in concerts at Royal Academy of Music, Cambridge University, the Electro/acoustic Festival, conducted by Toby Thatcher, Darren Bloom.
She has collaborated with the Composition Faculty at Royal College of Music in London on many projects both as a performer and as a lecturer.
She plays with GAMO Ensemble for Contemporary Music in Florence since 2016. With the ensemble, she performs at major Italian festivals, including Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Nuova Consonanza.
In 2016 Sara has received the Artists International Development Fund Award from Arts Council of England, which led to several performances in Israel.
Sara has received special recognition and awards as a soloist , including the International Prize “Valentino Bucchi”- Rome, the Prize “Alberto Gori”- Siena.
She was selected to perform in the Klangspuren International Ensemble Modern Academy 2014 which gave her the opportunity of working under musicians of Ensemble Modern, conductor Brad Lubman and composer Hans Abrahamsen
Sara has premiered hundreds of new works for flute and is the dedicatee of works for solo flute by Edward Cowie, Jonathan Cole, Alessandro Solbiati, Alona Epsthein, Marina Leonardi, Matteo Giuliani, Rouzbeh Rafie, Davide Fensi, Alessandro Magini. In 2021 she has received a grant from Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust for the commission of a new piece by Richard Causton, written for her and saxophonist Mario Marzi.
Sara has also collaborated as a solo interpreter with composers Cheryl Frances-Hoad, David Loeb, Jeremy Thurlow, Jinhee Han and played in the world premiere of a piece by Salvatore Sciarrino.
She has recorded with Metier (Divine Art Recordings), Champs Hill, EMA Vinci.
At a very young age, Sara appeared at Cantiere Internazionale of Montepulciano, Siena, founded and directed by Hans Werner Henze.
She obtained degrees both in Flute and in Music Education at Conservatoire “Francesco Morlacchi” in Perugia and a Diploma of Specialisation in Flute at Academy of Music in Florence. Later, she attended a course with Davide Formisano. Her recent teachers include Roberto Fabbriciani and had lessons in London with Michael Cox.
