Since 2023, Augusto Velio Palumbo has held the role of First Bassoon Soloist at the prestigious German Radio Orchestra "WDR" West Deutscher Rundfunk in Cologne. He has obtained over forty First Prizes in various international competitions (for example “Maura Giorgetti” by Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Yamaha Foundation Arts Award, Carnegie Hall “Crescendo” Honour Prize, “Médaille d'Or” at the “Concours Luxembourgeois et Européen pour Jeunes Solistes”) but recently he won the “Bassoon” category at the “17th Tchaikovsky Competition” in St. Petersburg, Russia, placing third as the overall prize.
He studied and graduated in Italy, under the guide of Maestro Alberto Santi, both Bachelor and Master with a score of 110/110 Cum Laude and Honourable Mention. Then, he proceeded his advanced specialization studies at the “Haute Ecole de Musique HEMU” in Lausanne (Switzerland), in the class of Maestro Carlo Colombo. Over the years, he has had the great opportunity to study with and meet several legends of the bassoon, as: Klaus Thunemann, Milan Turkovic, Valery Popov, Patrick de Ritis, Stefano Canuti, Matthias Racz, Giorgio Mandolesi and Dag Jensen; learning not only their musical aspects but also incorporating their pedagogical ways.
Augusto loves his orchestra role, and he is currently invited in many orchestras such as: Filarmonica and Teatro della Scala in Milano, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Gürzenich Orchester Köln and as soloist he has collaborated with the “Orchestra Antonio Vivaldi” (soloist and conductor), the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra (St. Petersburg), Nouvelles Étoiles (Paris), Allegro con Brio (Germany), Aria di Musica (Rome) and at the “Festival dei Due Mondi” in Spoleto in two solo recitals.