“These days may provide a good opportunity for artistic growth but perhaps the resulting artwork will not be professional productions, because everything has stopped and who knows when it will return,” Aquino told the Tehran Times in a recent interview.

“These days of home quarantine I’m studying a lot. I am studying music techniques but I am also composing a little. I try to take care of the sound and keep the facial muscles in shape. The trumpet is a difficult instrument and you must always keep in shape. We musicians are fortunate that our work matches our passion. Jazz and music is my whole life,” he added.

He called the COVID-19 pandemic a really horrible situation and said “Everything has slowed down and has almost stopped. It is like a nightmare, but at the moment, we can only stay in our homes and wait,” he said.

He said that there are many people at risk who work in poorly protected environments but for musicians, especially those who make their livings on concerts, it is a deadly stop.

He mentioned that many musicians are uploading music on the web to cheer friends and fans as much as possible.

He noted that in his country, which went through difficult days at the beginning of the spread of the new virus, most Italians have responded well to the government’s restrictive measures.

However, he called it a totally unexpected situation and added, “No one knows what will happen next.”

He said that he has plans to resume playing on stage as he did before.

“Traveling and meeting new people and cultures will be the other thing I will do. My last concert was in Tehran during the Fajr Music Festival. It was really amazing: amazing audience, theater, people. It seems like a lifetime ago. It is so nice to have a live audience ahead. Thinking of playing only for social media makes me sad,” he concluded.

Aquino, together with his pianist friend Fabio Giachino and double bassist Dario Miranda gave a performance during the 35th Fajr Music Festival at Vahdat Hall in Tehran in February.