About me

Freelance musician based in Como, Tommaso Polloni began his musical career as amateur in the local wind band.

He enrolled at the Como Conservatory in 2019, studying with M° Ezio Rovetta. Alongside his musical education, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in 2020. After completing his studies in Como, he was admitted for a MA in Specialized Music Performance (Soloist) at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, studying under M° Radovan Vlatković, and graduated in 2024.

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As an orchestral musician, he has played with renowned orchestras, including Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano (CH), Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali* in Milan, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Orchestra del Teatro Olimpico* in Vicenza, Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana* and Italian Youth Orchestra*.

In 2022, he recorded as principal horn with the Civica Filarmonica di Lugano (CH) the CD “Urban Landscapes” which includes four unpublished works by Franco Cesarini, including Sinfonia No. 3, Op. 55.

(* as first part)

Awarded a scholarship by the LYRA Foundation in 2023, he won a prize in 2024 for a concert performance of W.A. Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 3 with the Chamber Orchestra “Duchi d’Acquaviva.” He has studied with some of the leading horn players in the Italian and international scene, including Frøydis Ree Wekre, Erja Joukamo-Ampuja, Loris Antiga, Mischa Greull, Vittorio Ferrari, and Danilo Stagni, to name a few.

His recent projects include a recital program with pianist Simone Cereda and a YouTube educational project, Concert-Lessons, in cooperation with videomaker Andrea Sanvito. With this format —after two online episodes and a final live performance in Tokyo— he was awarded the Creative Prize at the Basel International Music Newcomer Audition 2025 in Asia.

Repertoire List

A selection of concertos, sonatas, solo and chamber music pieces from Tommaso’s repertoire.

For Horn and Orchestra

S. Mercadante, Horn Concerto in D minor

L. Cherubini, Horn Concerto in F major

W. A. Mozart, Horn Concerto No. 3 in Eb Major K 447

W. A. Mozart, Horn Concerto No. 4 in Eb Major K 495

C. Saint Saens, Morceau de Concert pour Cor Op. 94

R. Strauss, Horn Concerto No.1 Op. 11

R. Glière, Horn Concerto Op. 91

L. E. Larsson, Horn Concertino Op.45 No. 5

N. Rota, Castel del monte (1974)

For Horn and Piano

L. Cherubini, Horn Sonata No. 1

G. Rossini, Introduzione andante ed Allegro per Corno e Pianoforte

L. van Beethoven, Horn Sonata Op. 17

R. Strauss, Also sprach Zarathustra – Einleitung

L. Sinigaglia, Zwei Stucke for Horn und Klavier

N. Rota, Speak Softly Love from ‘Il Padrino’

For Solo Horn

B. Krol, Laudatio (1966)

M. Arnold, Fantasia for Solo Horn (1966)

S. Berge, Horn-LOKK (1972)

Chamber Music

W. A. Mozart, Serenade No. 10 for winds in B-flat major, K. 361/370a “Gran Partita”

F. Danzi, Quintet Op. 56 No. 2 in g minor

J. Brahms, Trio for Violin, Horn and Piano Op. 40

C. Nielsen, Quintet for woodwind quintet Op. 43

F. Poulenc, Sextet for woodwinds and Piano FP 100

B. Martinů – Quartet for Clarinet, French Horn, Violoncello and Side-drum (1924)

G. Ligeti, Six Bagatelles for wind quintet (1953)

K Aliçkaj, Sextet Pianistik (2013)

2024 new project: Concert-lessons

An award-winning idea, concert-lesson offers a new way to experience a performance, designed especially for audiences less familiar with the concert hall. It combines a live performance with insightful explanations, allowing listeners to enjoy the music as if guided by their own personal music teacher.

Launched as an experiment in 2024 and celebrated with the Creative Prize at the Basel International Music Newcomer Audition 2025 in Tokyo, this initiative aims to continually expand the repertoire for these lessons, with the goal of making classical music accessible to everyone, especially to younger generations.