Leonardo Sesenna

Leonardo Sesenna is the Principal Cellist of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra. He regularly plays with the Orchestra of "Teatro alla Scala" in Milan, and is also cooperating as Sub-Principal Cello of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Leonardo has been teaching at the Department of Classical Music at the University of Agder since 2015, and is also a Visiting Professor of Cello at the Academy of Music in Pinerolo, Italy. 

For 3 years Leonardo was the Principal Cellist of the Orchestra​ "Luigi Cherubini" directed and founded by Mº Riccardo Muti, with whom he toured in Germany (Cologne Philarmonie), Belgium (Liegi Forum), Russia (Mariinsky Theatre), Spain, France (Opéra de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées),  Austria (Musikverein, Salzburg Pentecoste Festival), Switzerland and Italy. Furthermore, he has collaborated as Principal Cellist with Symphony Orchestra "Arturo Toscanini", Teatro Regio of Parma, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2012 until 2014, he served as Principal Cellist of Kuopio Symphony Orchestra, Finland. These and other orchestral collaborations have led him to be conducted by Kurt Masur, Juri Temirkanov, Vladimir Jurovskij, Riccardo Chailly, Esa Pekka Salonen, Daniele Gatti, Riccardo Muti, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Claudio Abbado.

Leonardo graduated with honours from the Conservatory in Modena with Prof. Marianne Chen. Later he studied with Mº Rocco Filippini at the "Walter Stauffer" Academy in Cremona and with the acclaimed cellist Natalia Gutman at the "Music School of Fiesole", Florence. He has taken masterclasses with Ivan Monighetti, Karine Georgian, Harvej Shapiro, Yulius Berger, Frans Helmerson, Antonio Meneses and Wolfgang Boettcher.

Leonardo plays a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume cello, 1865, generously granted by Sparebanken Sør in Kristiansand.