The Colombo Octet was formed by Emilio Colombo in 1934 and gave its first broadcast the same year. When Colombo died in 1937, Alexander Rossi , who for four and a half years was leader of the Colombo Orchestra at the Hotel Metropole, London, took his place. The combination of the Octet is exactly the same as when it was formed ; every instrumentalist was a member of Colombo's Orchestra.
Alexander Rossi , whose father was
Italian, was born in England, and went to Italy at the age of nine. He won a scholarship to the Royal Conservatoire at Parma, and studied under Romeo Franzoni. Finishing his course with the highest honours two years before his time, he returned to England at the age of eighteen. He played many times as soloist under Sir Dan Godfrey at Bournemouth, served for three and a half years with the Middlesex Regiment during the war, and in 1919 played at the British Empire Leave Club to the Army of Occupation on the Rhine.