Lito Fontana, born on December 2, 1962, in José C. Paz, Buenos Aires, Argentina, is an Italian-Argentinian trombonist renowned in the European brass music scene. He began his musical journey at the age of seven, studying classical guitar. After moving to Italy at eleven, he transitioned to the trombone, studying at the “G. Rossini” Conservatory in Pesaro, where he graduated.
Throughout his career, Fontana has collaborated with various ensembles and orchestras, including the RAI Television Orchestra, and has worked alongside notable musicians such as Billy Cobham and Chet Baker. He has also been a member of the Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia and the Camerata Musicale Pescarese.
In 1991, Fontana relocated to Austria, becoming a member of the Haller Stadtpfeifer and founding the trombone quartet Trombonisti Italiani. He has performed with Juvavum Brass from Salzburg, touring with artists like Allen Vizzutti and James Morrison. His versatility has led him to participate in various festivals, including the Tiroler Festspiele and Klangspuren Schwaz. As a soloist, he has graced events such as the Spanish Brass Festival in Valencia and the MIDEUROPE Festival in Austria.
Fontana has been recognized for his contributions to brass music, being named among the world’s best trombonists in the brass band scene by the online magazine 4barsrest in 2008 and 2010. His solo album “When I Walk Alone” was nominated among the top five brass solo CDs worldwide in 2011.
Currently, he serves as an educator at the Musikschule Hall in Austria and has previously taught at the conservatories of Bolzano and Perugia. Fontana is also an artist endorsed by Schagerl Instruments, having developed his signature trombone model, the Schagerl “Fontana.”