Trombonist Frederic Belli is one of the most renowned and outstanding brass soloists of his generation. As prize-winner of international competitions, he has already performed with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the NDR Radiophilharmonie and the Orchestra of the Mannheim National Theatre. With the SWR Symphony Orchestra, of which he is principal trombonist since 2006, he has appeared as a soloist on major European stages such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Salle Pleyel in Paris and as acclaimed soloist at the New Year’s Eve concert of the South West German Broadcasting Corporation SWR.
Frederic Belli’s repertoire comprises trombone concertos of all eras. Also, he regularly performs and premieres contemporary works by Berio, Rota, Ruzicka, Sandström, Schnyder and others. He works with renowned European orchestras, for example in Munich, Graz, Basel, Wiesbaden, Wuppertal, Oldenburg, Pforzheim, Vorpommern, South Westfalia and Gotha.
In addition to his solo activities his great passion is chamber music. Frederic Belli plays in several ensembles of which he is co-founder and director. His octet Trombone Unit Hannover receives invitations from all over the world (e.g. Japan, China, Brazil and Colombia), but also performs at high-ranking contemporary music festivals, e.g. in Donaueschingen and Huddersfield. A highlight there was the premiere of the octet for trombones by Georg. F. Haas.
As part of the Trio Belli-Fischer-Rimmer with percussionist Johannes Fischer and pianist Nicholas Rimmer, Frederic Belli performs at renowned festivals such as the Heidelberg Spring Festival and the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival. Their repertoire ranges from original compositions and arrangements to commissioned works. His other musical partners include trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Miroslav Petkov (Concertgebouw Orkest) as well as the organist and Echo Award winner Martin Schmeding. Frederic also maintains close musical friendships with jazz trombonist Nils Wogram, avant-garde artist Mike Svoboda and composer Daniel Schnyder.
Furthermore, he is regularly invited as guest principal trombonist, e.g. by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Frederic Belli’s solo recording with the SWR Symphony Orchestra was released in 2011, followed by two CDs “Full Power” (2013) and “Living on the Edge” (2017) of the Trombone Unit Hannover. In 2021 and 2025, he released two CDs “Fresh Air” and “Songs without Words” with the Trio Belli-Fischer-Rimmer.
