Ondanueve String Quartet
Ondanueve is a string quartet born from the meeting of classical training, Mediterranean roots and a curiosity for different musical languages.
Andrea Esposito, Paolo Sasso, Luigi Tufano and Marco Pescosolido work together across concerts, recording sessions, arrangements and collaborations with artists.
Over time, the quartet has moved through original music, jazz, pop, rock, world music, film and record productions while keeping the same idea at its centre: using the sound of strings freely without losing cohesion or identity.
Four classically trained instruments, a strong Mediterranean spirit and the freedom to move across genres. Ondanueve’s sound grows from ensemble precision, rhythm, improvisation and close attention to melody.
This is not a classical quartet adding a different repertoire: it is a stable group using strings like a band, with a recognisable identity in every project.
Continuity is a practical part of our work. The same four musicians can follow the arrangement, prepare the parts, record them and bring them to the stage.
This allows the artist, producer or artistic director to work with one ensemble and retain the same phrasing and balance from the first listen to the performance.
The original repertoire has taken Ondanueve to festivals, theatres and cultural seasons in Italy and abroad. Viaggio, Boundary Line and Mutazioni mark three stages in the quartet’s musical path.
In the studio, Ondanueve’s strings have entered numerous film and television productions, including The Consequences of Love, The Extra Man, Naples in Veils, Magnificent Presence and Kryptonite!.
The quartet has shared the stage and studio with artists from different musical worlds. Encounters that have shaped the path include John Cale, Amii Stewart, Eugenio Bennato and Tosca, alongside productions with Roberto Colella, Joe Barbieri, Awa Fall, Luca Toller and other artists.
Every collaboration changes the context but not the method: listening to the artist’s music and finding a voice for the strings that is necessary rather than decorative.
Violin
A violin graduate of the D. Cimarosa Conservatory with advanced studies in chamber repertoire and teaching, he has worked in orchestras, theatre and television productions. A violinist, arranger and composer, he brings a personal approach to improvisation and writing for strings to Ondanueve.
Violin
A graduate of the D. Cimarosa Conservatory, he has worked with Italian and international orchestras, theatre companies, RAI productions and numerous film scores. A violinist, arranger and improviser, he combines instrumental versatility with extensive stage and studio experience.
Viola
A violin and viola graduate of the D. Cimarosa Conservatory and a prize-winner in national solo and quartet competitions, he has performed in major theatres with classical soloists and Italian and international artists. His work spans chamber music, film, television and live production.
Cello
A top-honours graduate of the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory and a prize-winner in national competitions, he has worked in orchestras, film, touring and recording. A cellist, arranger and composer, he brings sonic research and an openness to classical, pop, world music and improvisation to Ondanueve.
In concerts and productions that call for it, Riccardo Schmitt joins the quartet on drums and percussion. His contribution expands the rhythmic drive without changing the project’s centre: the sound of the four strings.
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