Short Bio
Federico Linari is a harmonica player, teacher and producer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina with a remarkable international career. He took center stage as main artist & jury at prestigious harmonica festivals like the World Harmonica Festival, the Seoul International Harmonica Festival, the Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival, and played concerts in different cities in Europe, Asia and North & South America.
In 2025, he was booked as a soloist with the Oakville Symphony Orchestra in Canada. He performed, to standing ovations, the Howard Levy Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica & Orchestra, becoming the first harmonica player in the world besides the composer to perform this piece in its entirety.
As a soloist and session musician Federico has recorded many records and singles. Stand between his soloist work Federico Linari Grupo, Domus Artis Session, Historias de Bolsillo, Time Will Tell & Volver (singles). He is also one of the most required harmonica session musicians, having recorded harmonicas for world-famous pop artists such as Tini Stoessel.
As an educator, he gave seminars in Seoul, Tokyo, Madrid, Mexico City, Montevideo and Buenos Aires, and teaches private students online from all over the world. He is co-founder of Buenos Aires Harmonica School.
He was also producer of Harmonicas of The World, a musical collaboration that gathered some of the most important harmonica players in the global scene.
Federico is a HOHNER Artist.
Studies
I started playing the harmonica at the age of 14, initially teaching myself. After learning how to bend notes on my own, I decided to look for a teacher and met Nico Smoljan, who taught me the fundamental techniques of the instrument and introduced me to the harmonica scene in Buenos Aires.
Later, as I became interested in exploring the language of jazz, I studied harmonica with Mariano Massolo while also studying piano and harmony with Guillermo Romero.
Seeking to deepen my understanding of improvisation and jazz language on the diatonic harmonica, I reached out to trumpeter Juan Cruz de Urquiza, with whom I studied jazz for approximately five years.
In 2013, during a visit to Buenos Aires, I had the opportunity to meet Howard Levy for the first time and take a private harmonica lesson with him.
In 2012, I was selected by the Fondo Nacional de las Artes (Argentina's National Arts Fund) to participate in the Encuentro Nacional de Improvisación y Composición Musical, a seminar created by Marcelo Moguilevsky that awarded scholarships to musicians from across Argentina.
I also participated in an ensemble workshop led by Juan Cruz de Urquiza as part of the Buenos Aires Jazz Festival.
Groups & Albums
During my early years as a harmonica player, I was part of Agujero Negro and Cosmos Jazz, my first rock and jazz bands, respectively. I also played in the Carlos Pellegrini School Jazz Orchestra, directed by Gustavo Dinzelbacher.
Later, together with Juan Klas, Dogui Rodríguez, and Juan Tello, we formed Bop, El Jazzero Solitario, a jazz fusion band with which we performed for several years throughout Buenos Aires' jazz and cultural scene, as well as touring Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador.
In 2015, I recorded my first solo album with a band featuring Guillermo Romero, Sebastián de Urquiza, and Fermín Merlo, along with guest musicians. The album included a selection of jazz standards, an original composition, and Argentine music.
In 2018, I took part in Domus Artis Session alongside the Escuela de Armónica de Buenos Aires, a live recording session held at Domus Artis Studio in Villa Urquiza. For this occasion, I put together a band with Dogui Rodríguez, Sebastián de Urquiza, and Martín Beckerman, with whom I recorded two tracks.
As part of an episode of Historias de Bolsillo, a YouTube series featuring interviews with harmonica players, Dogui Rodríguez and I recorded HdB Session, a duo performance.
Festivals
For several years now, I've been fortunate enough to travel around the world playing the harmonica. Among many other experiences, my harmonica has taken me to some of the most important harmonica festivals in the world.
I've participated in the Seoul International Harmonica Festival in Seoul, South Korea, on several occasions, where I was invited to perform concerts, give masterclasses, and serve as a jury member for various competitions.
During my stay in Tokyo, Japan, I performed a concert and gave a workshop alongside my friend Koei Tanaka, an outstanding harmonica player and teacher from Japan.
In 2016, I took part in the Asia-Pacific Harmonica Festival in Hsinchu, Taiwan, as both a guest artist and a jury member.
In 2017, I was invited to the World Harmonica Festival in Trossingen, Germany. I traveled there with a delegation from Buenos Aires and had the honor of becoming the first Argentine to serve on the festival's competition jury. I also performed a concert at the festival alongside pianist Thomas Förster.
Hohner Artist
Since 2015, I've had the privilege of being a Hohner Artist, supported by the world's leading harmonica manufacturer. For me, it's a dream come true, as I've always played and loved their instruments.
In addition to receiving their support and participating in various online activities, I've had the opportunity to visit Hohner's headquarters in Trossingen, Germany, on two occasions. Besides attending the World Harmonica Festival, I returned for another visit, during which I toured the factory and had the incredible experience of performing a concert for Hohner's employees right in the middle of the production floor.
Soloist Appearances with Symphony Orchestra
In 2025, I had the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the Oakville Symphony in Canada, in two concerts conducted by Lorenzo Guggenheim. The program featured the Canadian premiere of Howard Levy's Concerto for Diatonic Harmonica and Orchestra, Astor Piazzolla's Oblivion, and Dave Brubeck's Blue Rondo à la Turk.
It was a particularly exciting challenge, as Howard Levy's concerto is one of the most technically demanding works ever written for the instrument. With these performances, I became the first harmonica player in the world, after the composer himself, to perform the work in its entirety.
It was also a wonderful experience to bring the harmonica, an instrument traditionally associated with popular music, into the world of classical music, performing alongside a symphony orchestra for a classical music audience. All of this made these two concerts truly special and memorable experiences.
Harmonica Educator
As a harmonica teacher, I currently teach private students from over 10 countries, ranging from complete beginners to professional musicians. I'm also a co-founder of the Escuela de Armónica de Buenos Aires. In addition to private lessons, I offer workshops, masterclasses, and online group courses for beginners, welcoming students from Argentina and around the world.