Massimiliano DONNINELLI was born in Jesi, achieves studies, of Saxophone with Albino Mattei, Enzo Veddovi (Diploma with Flying Colours and Merit at the Conservatoire G.Rossini – Pesaro) and Jean-Marie Londeix (Prémiere Prix et medaille d’Or à l’unanimitè avec felicitations du Jury au Conservatoire National de Region de Bordeaux et Prix de Musique de Chambre), of Composition, of Conducting with Zoltán Peskó, László Tihany, Luciano Acocella, Piero Bellugi, George Pehlivanian.

He was winner at very young age of national and international Competitions. Upon an international career, he was invited for tournées and festivals such Sagra Malatestiana di Rimini, Trieste Prima, Mittelfest, Otranto Festival, MGN Monaco, Biennale-Europa Mediterranea (Roma), Biennale Musica (Venezia), Teatro La Fenice (Venezia), Teatro “G.Rossini” di Pesaro, Rijeka, Pula, Xth World Saxophone Congress (Pesaro), Xth International Saxophone Master-Class (Fermo), , Milano Oltre, CDMC (Madrid), Biennale Zagabria, Zaal De Unie (Rotterdam), Suggestioni Archeologiche (Aquileia), Nuove Forme (Verona), Teatro Valle (Roma), Lo Spazio Ritrovato (Trieste), VIII Mednarodno Srecanje Saksofonistov (Nova Gorica), 14th World Saxophone Congress (Ljubljana), Teatro Miela, Lubenicke Festival (Croazia), Bordeaux, Centenary of the birth of Goffredo Petrassi (Trieste) and Luigi Dallapiccola (Pazin, Croatia), MIBACT – Musei di Sera – Aquileia, RadioFrance (Paris), City Theater of Gradisca d’Isonzo (Hommage at the Theater Alla Scala of Miland), TeaterSSG, Teatro Ristori (Verona), Théâtre Adyar (Paris)…

He has given concerts, master-classes and conferences for Istitutions as Youngstown University (USA), Alberta University (Edmonton, Canada), Universität Klagenfurt, Fondazione Regionale per lo Spettacolo (FVG), SISSA (Trieste), Centro Nazionale di Studi Leopardiani (Recanati), Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Aquileia), Provincia di Trieste, CTP (Centro Tradizioni Popolari, Jesi), Museo Teatrale “C.Schmidl” (Trieste), Grm-Ina (Paris), SIU – Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, Illinois – USA), Querini-Stampalia Foundation of Venice.

In collaboration with Socrates Project and Conservatoire G.Tartini, he has given masterclasses of saxophone, chamber music and concerts for Real Conservatorio Superior de Mùsica (Madrid), Escola Superior de Mùsica (Lisboa), Konservatorium Wien, Trinity College of London, Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Akademija Umetnosti of Novi Sad, Universität für musik und darstellende kunst Wien, Universtiy of Sarajevo and master-class of conducting for the National Kapodistrian University of Athens. He was invited to take part of the Interview-Project ILYM by RAI5.

He has collaborated with Orchestra Bel’Arte, SISO – Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica Nationala „Serghei Lunchevici” , Orchestra Nazionale TeleRadio – Moldova, Coro Nazionale “Moldova”, Unexpetd Opera Event, Orchestra Mihail Jora, Ongi, Jmiyo, Zauberorchestra, Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia, Venice Chamber Ensemble, Weilheim Kammer-Orchester, OFI-Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana, Venice Chamber Orchestra, Ex-Novo Ensemble, Chromas Ensemble, PrismaEnsemble, Ensemble International de Saxophones de Bordeaux, International Saxophone quartet – Sax Overseas, Gruppo La Macina, Lu Jia, Christian Lauba, Federico Troncatti, Brett Deubner, Elena Glazyrina, Ovidiu Balan, Valeria Moriconi, Gianmaria Martini, Brizio Montinaro, Jean-Marie Londeix, Luciano Berio (Massimiliano is the only Italian saxophonist to have collaborated with the Maestro at the interpretation of Sequence IXb for alto saxophone), Claudio Ambrosini, Alessandro Sbordoni, Vasja Legiša, Madeline Rogers, Laura Kucharik, Salvatore Tramacere, Eric Trémolières, Giampaolo Coral, Giovanni Mancuso, François Rossé, Stefano Bassanese, Renato Rivolta, Alessandro Solbiati, Andrea Cera, Cristophe Havel, Maribernadette Charrier, Louise Wagner, Dimitri Nicolau, Luca Mosca, Jasna Corrado-Merlak, Elena Stamera, Claudio Bilucaglia, Giovanni Maier, Mauro Lanza, Tonino Tesei, Carlo Paniccià, Aurelio Samorì, Roberta Silvestrini, Mauro Ferrante, Giancarlo Aquilanti, Paolo Russo, Matteo Valerio, Sofia Bolzan, Emmanuele Praticelli, Andrea Bazzoni, Francesco Gusmitta, Carolina Neni Chacin, Zuriñe F. Guerenabarrena, Sandro Torlontano, Gualtiero Giorgini, Luciano Pasini, Marisandra Calacione, Lorenzo Pagliei, Andrea Vigani, Roberto Doati, Marco Sofianopulo, Fabio Nieder, Max Renè Cosotti, Andrea Binetti, Stefania Seculin, Alessandro D’Acrissa, Les Babettes, Sandra St.Mila, Diana Mian, Paolo Sonson, Giacomo Patti, Daniela Mazzucato, Gabriela Tocari, Philippe Hattat, Theodor Coman, Roman Cazal, Trio Faurè, Paolo Marzocchi, Mariateresa Sartori…

Massimiliano’s compositions have been performed in Italy, Germany, Slovenia, France, Croatia, Brasil, Spain, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Usa, broadcasted by Rss-Sky, Rete A, Telequattro, RadioVaticana, Rai, UN Radio (Antioquia, Colombia), Discovery Channel, RadioShalom, RTV-Slovenija (Koper), and performed by interpreters as Zagreb Saxophone Quartett, Celje String Orchestra, Nenad Firšt, Luisa Sello, Arno Bornkamp, Dejan Prešicek, Duo Novecembalo, Manuel Šavron, Francisco Jimeno.  He has written music for the theatre, CTK- Lecce – “Il vaso di Pandora”, UPT Trieste – Regione FVG, for the opera in one act “Il giovane pastore e la figlia del Re” and the first operetta 2.0 “Malinteso Tergestino” (2016). He published with Pizzicato (Udine), Sloway Music Editions (Ljubljana), Da Vinci Publisher (Osaka), Armelin (Padova), Curci (Milano), and has recorded for CBC, Rai, Rai Slo, RNE, Rusty Records (Milano-Torino), Palomar Records, Radio-Moldova, RadioFrance… Has been appointed Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of ONGI, JMIYO, Zauberorchestra, and Vice President of GMI (Youth Music of Italy – Jeunesse Musicales International) seat of Verona. He is Artistic Director of “Progetto G.Cambissa” – Evreux (France) and “Attimi di cultura in piazza” (festival of lirica, theater and poetry – Trieste).

He was nominated Artistic Director of “paeSaggi Sonori”, project underwritten by the Conservatory of Udine and Trieste and is a winner of competition of the Regione FVG for the production and distribution of new music. He was invited by the Italian Department of State Education (MIUR – Ministry of State Education, University and Scientific Research) to be part of the national commission for the evaluation of the new didactic courses at the Conservatories and Music Institutes Officially Recognized. He founded the “Gruppo-Laboratorio di musica da camera Contemporanea del Conservatorio G.Tartini di Trieste”, “Trieste Saxophone Orchestra” and “Mali Orkestar Smiješak i Djecji Orkestar Smiješak” (Porec), a specific orchestral project for childs.

He has been part of the jury of the “III International Saxophone Competition Alpe-Adria Danubio” (Nova Gorica), II International Competition “Saksistra 2007” (Koper), 36° Concorso Nazionale “TEMSIG” (Ljubljana), III and IV International Competition Paolo Spincich Prize (Trieste), III edition of “The Voice” International Competition for actors, I International Competition “Giorgio Cambissa” (Paris-France), II International Competition “Giorgio Cambissa” (Paris-France), Virtual concert Hall – Web International Competition (New York).

Regulary he has teached at the International Master-Class of Spilimbergo (Istituto G.A. FanoANBIMA), International Master-Class of Associazione D.Sarro – European Arts Academy of Trani, International Saxophone Master-Class “Alpe-Adria-Danubio” (Nova Gorica), International MasterClass of Saxophone (Koper/Capodistria). He has teached at the Conservatory “A.Scontrino” of Trapani, at the Istituto Musicale Pareggiato “P.Mascagni” of Livorno and as a winner of State Competition for Chairs of teacher of Saxophone he teached since 1995 to 1996 at the Conservatoire of Music in Benevento and since 1996 he is the teacher of Saxophone at the Conservatoire “G.Tartini” in Trieste, where he teached also Semeiography of contemporary music for the Accademic level, for the biennium 2012-2014 he was elected Coordinator of the Department of Wind Instruments.