Ferdinando DeSena is a Miami-based composer who was born in Brooklyn NY.
His earliest musical experiences were with neighborhood pop, and doo–wop groups. He worked as musician in Ithaca NY for 13 years, playing in several regional bands as keyboard player and lead singer. His final group was Uptown Revue, which he led for seven years.
In search of furthering his creative potential, he graduated from Ithaca College with a BA in both Computer Science and Electronic Music. This led to a graduate program at the University of Miami where he earned an MM degree in Electronic Music and a DMA in Composition. His principle teachers were Dennis Kam in composition, and Peter Rothbart and Don Wilson in electronic music.
Dr. DeSena joined the music theory/composition faculty of the University of Miami, and directed the Electronic Music Studio. He also taught composition and music technology at New World School of the Arts in Miami.
Fred DeSena is a PARMA Recording Artist and has many recordings currently available on the Navona label.
Albums
Turning Point
Release Date: May 10, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6620
Catalog Number: NV6620
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Electroacoustic
Flute
Voice
Ferdinando DeSena’s TURNING POINT is an experimental odyssey, an enticing collection of music that reimagines the timbres of familiar instruments like flute, piano, the human voice, and more. The title piece uses the audio synthesis technique called “convolution” in which musical audio samples are digitally joined with the sound of cymbal strikes and crashes to dramatic effect. In Sonorous Earth, DeSena conducts a different sort of experiment, this time by scoring for all the lower relatives of a woodwind quintet. An impressive tour de force, TURNING POINT leaves listeners with an expanded sense of what is possible in the realm of chamber music.
Quadrants Vol. 5
Release Date: March 15, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6602
Catalog Number: NV6602
21st Century
Chamber
String Quartet
The award-winning Benda Quartet assembles on QUADRANTS VOL. 5 to deliver a stunning, razor-sharp collection of contemporary string works. Composers Christopher J. Hoh, Ferdinando DeSena, Christopher Brakel, Michael Murray, and Paul Halley offer a wide range of sounds and emotions in this body of work, ranging from warm, elegant expressions to high-octane passages and more.
This Navona Records release is also available as a visual album, filmed at the historic Dul Michal mine in Ostrava, CZ. Eloquent, precise, and hypnotic, QUADRANTS VOL. 5 is a crystal-clear reflection of the musical and technical heights of the string quartet genre.
Celestial Voices
Release Date: March 1, 2024
Catalog Number: NV6600
Catalog Number: NV6600
21st Century
Liturgical
Vocal Music
Voice
Ethereal, uplifting, and deeply impactful throughout. The works on CELESTIAL VOICES check these boxes and more. Featuring sacred choral works from several contemporary composers, this offering from Navona Records is a musical exploration into the divine that’s ready to be experienced in both stereo and Dolby Atmos immersive audio formats.
Modern harmonies and rhythmic freedom, new settings of famous hymns, fragments of plainchant that highlight contemporary topics, and more are expressed with clarity and spirit by The Kühn Choir of Prague in this release, who are joined by supportive instrumentalists at various points in the program.
Orígenes
Release Date: November 3, 2023
Catalog Number: NV6570
Catalog Number: NV6570
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Guitar
Composer-performer Giovanni Piacentini’s ORÍGENES is an exploration of the spirit of the Americas through the guitar. Spanish colonizers introduced string instruments like guitars and vihuelas when they arrived in America, which in turn gave rise to a series of indigenous instruments across the continent such as the Colombian tiple, the Mexican jarana, and the Panamanian mejoranera, to name a few. This blending of American and European cultures is at the heart of ORÍGENES. Drawing on the contributions of legendary guitar composers like Manuel M. Ponce, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and Astor Piazzolla, Piacentini’s ORÍGENES contributes a fresh perspective to this musical legacy.
Sparks: Eye of London
Release Date: October 28, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6454
Catalog Number: NV6454
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
Navona Records presents SPARKS: THE EYE OF LONDON, an assembly of original fanfares performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. Drawing from the compositional strengths of today’s composers, the orchestra navigates chaos and order, isolation, and ascension towards triumph through passionate orchestral writing reminiscent of the fire that burns within us. A collection spanning thought-provoking narratives, scenic synesthesia, soothing passages, and the whimsically abstract, the London Symphony Orchestra explores a vast musical landscape of emotions, tackling each with precision and verve.
Currents in Time
Release Date: July 8, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6443
Catalog Number: NV6443
21st Century
Solo Instrumental
Vocal Music
Piano
Viola
Voice
There are great singers, and then there are great singers who break the mold, pushing both the musical and organizational boundaries of their craft. American mezzo-soprano Megan Ihnen impressively demonstrates her affiliation with the latter group on CURRENTS IN TIME, once more employing her formidable talents as both a 21st-century vocalist and impresaria to shine a light on a varied array of contemporary composers.
Toccata Miami
Release Date: June 10, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6433
Catalog Number: NV6433
21st Century
Chamber
Solo Instrumental
Guitar
Piano
Violin
Composer Ferdinando DeSena is no stranger to variation; from his previous electro-acoustic concoctions to this dynamic blend of chamber orchestrations in TOCCATA MIAMI, a world of enticing conversation between tonal opposites begs to be uncovered in these expressive compositions. Oboe and piano dance in an ominous sonata soundscape, harps and flutes seek to sooth in Three Attitudes, and solo piano works shine with a latin flair in the album’s titular track.
Windswept Vol. II
Release Date: June 24, 2022
Catalog Number: NV6415
Catalog Number: NV6415
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Flute
Oboe
Rigorous repertoire is at the ready on WINDSWEPT VOL. II from Navona Records, a sweeping sonic force of contemporary chamber works for woodwind quintet. Performed by the New London Chamber Ensemble, the works of seven composers soar with modern flair, making use of various instrumental textures and irregular meters with jazz-driven influences sprouting from classical roots. Dynamic displays of dexterity and lucious interplay between performers burst with refined energy in this recording, uplifting listeners into a satisfying and equally enticing atmosphere.
Windswept
Release Date: August 9, 2019
Catalog Number: NV6245
Catalog Number: NV6245
21st Century
Chamber
Wind Ensemble
Throughout Navona Records’ WINDSWEPT, the wind quintet makes up the characters of collective stories written by five unique composers. In each piece, the Boston-based Arcadian Winds project a storytelling experience that is joyful, moving, and meaningful to hear.
Quadrants Vol. 2
Release Date: September 14, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6184
Catalog Number: NV6184
21st Century
Chamber
String Quartet
With QUADRANTS, Navona Records presents six of today’s best modern string quartets that meld the old with the new, combining traditional forms with contemporary influences to present expressive, emotional works that both make and break the mold. QUADRANTS VOLUME 2 seeks to bring the emotive works of six contemporary composers together, with each work communicating both deeply personal and universal messages. These messages are made all the more potent when expressed through the multifaceted voice and intimate setting of the string quartet -- in this case, the acclaimed Boston group, the Pedroia String Quartet.
Secrets For Free
Release Date: August 10, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6178
Catalog Number: NV6178
21st Century
Chamber
Orchestral
Flute
Orchestra
String Quartet
It should be no secret that Miami-based composer Ferdinando De Sena is a tour de force amongst electroacoustic composers. Just listening to SECRETS FOR FREE is all the proof you need. The EP boasts adventurous yet accessible compositions that balance real instruments with computer-generated sound. SECRETS FOR FREE is a testament to fans of either subgenre that the two approaches to classical music do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Reason & Reverence
Release Date: June 8, 2018
Catalog Number: NV6166
Catalog Number: NV6166
21st Century
Orchestral
Orchestra
REASON AND REVERENCE represents an aural exploration of our world’s complexities. By comparing and contrasting present triumphs with past regrets, the composers on this album develop a compelling, philosophical reflection of the world we live in. Conducted by Petr Vronský, the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra delivers a master class in cohesiveness while tackling a wildly diverse, yet wholly complete set of compositions.
Spalding’s Bounce
Release Date: August 12, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6052
Catalog Number: NV6052
21st Century
Chamber
Electronic
Guitar
Piano Trio
Composer Ferdinando DeSena presents a selection of chamber works offering a mixture of musical elements. DeSena’s distinct musical style draws on all his diverse musical influences including jazz, popular, and classical avant garde. The popular and jazz fingerprints on his music are subtle, but can be found in his instrumentation and instrumental writing; on this album his combinations include the flute, guitar, sax and even harp and electronics to express unique sounds.
Onyx
Release Date: January 8, 2016
Catalog Number: NV6020
Catalog Number: NV6020
21st Century
Chamber
Flute
Navona Records presents ONYX, the 29th edition of the acclaimed Society of Composers, Inc. CD Series and the fifth SCI release on the label. Founded in 1965, SCI celebrates their 50 year anniversary with the release of this album, marking their continued dedication to the promotion, performance, understanding, and dissemination of new and contemporary music.
