Biography

Academic

Francesco La Camera graduated in Arts and Humanities from the University “La Sapienza” of Rome with Prof. P. Petrobelli, with a degree in History of Music on “Sound documents: their reversal and restoration”; he received his Ph.D. in “History and Analysis of Musical Culture” at the University “La Sapienza” in 2010. In 1992, moreover, the Diploma of “Sound engineer and recording” at the APM (School for Advanced Musical Studies) of Saluzzo and attended an internship at the studios of the WDR in Cologne.

Organizes and teaches classes on amplification and recording of classical music, reissuing, and remastering of analog media.

From 2006 to 2010 he held a class “Methods and techniques of sound restoration” at the Master in Sound Engineering at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata. He held a class "Remediation of sound carriers" at Master in "Sonic Arts from 2011 to 2015, and from 2016 a class in "Orchestra Live Mixing and Recording".

He is currently a member of AES and IASA.

Early Years

In 1986 he started his career as Sound Engineer at the Testacoda Studio in Rome, with the production of radio programs, commercials, and jingles. For the same company handled the wiring of a recording studio in Milan (1987) and the rebuilding of the studio in Rome (1988 and 1992).

In 1993 he began collaborating with the company Alcatraz in Rome with the role of sound technician on tours for some of the most famous Italian pop artists including Vasco, Carboni, Dalla, Jovanotti, Venditti, and sound consultant for the composer Marco Frisina at the Forum recording studios of Rome (“The treasure and the Bride”, “Jacob”, “Joseph”, “Moses”).

Following a competitive selection process, in the years 1997-98, was signed to contract by the Theatre Comunale of Bologna for managing the recording of operas and concerts.

Classical Music and Theatre

From 1996 as a sound engineer had worked with Sonus Audio Services of Rome, at the production of many performances, recordings, and broadcasting for classical music concerts and operas, such as: “Eleonora” Roberto De Simone (San Carlo Theatre, Napoli, winter 2000), the summer season of Teatro San Carlo in 2002 and 2004, Accademia di Santa Cecilia and the Spoleto Festival from 2003 to 2007, the production of records and concerts by the military band of the Carabinieri (1999-2001, 2006) and Marina (2007 and 2008), some events of the September festival Music / MITO with and the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala.

For Societas Raffaello Sanzio, in the years 1999-2001 had designed the show “Il Combattimento”, and engineered “Voyages au bout de la nuit”. He also worked on the design of production “Tragedy Endogonidia.”

From 2003 to 2007 he was the assistant to James Lock: they started collaboration on the festival of Accademia di Santa Cecilia and Spoleto, and continued with some recordings of Italian and foreign artists (including Uto Ughi and the Juilliard Orchestra).

From 2003 to 2006 he was the chief engineer for Sonus at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

Since September of 2006 started a collaboration with Andrea Bocelli: he is currently working as Orchestral Sound Engineer.

Sound and AV Collections

In 1996 he began his consulting activities in the conservation and reissues of audiovisual archives. He has collaborated with important institutions such as I.R.Te.M, Nuova Consonanza, Scelsi Foundation, Domenico Guaccero Archive, Carmelo Bene Foundation.

Out of a large quantity of productions digitalised and remastered by Francesco La Camera, approximately 50 CDs and DVDs were released.

From 2006 to 2008 he collaborated with the CFLR (now part of ICPAL) at the OPTIMA project for the study of optical media.

He was a member of "Commissione di Tutela" for "Istituto per i Beni Sonori ed Audiovisivi" in Rome.

TonLab Studio

In 2015 he started TonLab Studio, a location recording studio in Rome. The studio activity includes mainly recording of classical music and soundtracks for documentaries and theatrical performances as well as crossover and experimental projects and productions.

In recent years he has worked with Marco Frisina, Francesca Lione, Erika Provinzano, Marcello Rota, Francesca Satta Flores, Marco Serino, Erika Zoi, Band of the Carabinieri and Italian Navy Band, Div4s, Opera Studio.

TonLab Studio records concerts, operas, bands, and choirs and does mixing and mastering of tracks previously made.