* Artists
Among the guests of the 2024 edition, in addition to the artistic director Beatrice Rana:
Sayaka Shoji + -
Sayaka Shoji has become internationally recognised for her unique artistic versatility and detailed approach to her chosen repertoire. Her remarkable insight into musical languages comes from her mix of European and Japanese backgrounds. Born in Tokyo, Shoji moved to Siena, Italy when she was three. She studied at Accademia Musicale Chigiana and Cologne’s Musikhochschule and made her European debut with Lucerne Festival Strings and Rudolf Baumgartner at the Lucerne Festival and then at the Musikverein, Vienna at the age of fourteen.
Since winning first prize at the Paganini Competition in 1999, Sayaka Shoji has been supported by leading conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Semyon Bychkov, Mariss Jansons and Yuri Temirkanov to name a few.
Recent highlights include five concerts for the opening of the 2022/23 season with Israel Philharmonic Orchestra/Shani, an Italian tour with Philharmonia Orchestra/Matias-Rouvali, and a collaboration with dancer/choreographer Saburo Teshigawara performing Bach and Bartòk’s solo works at the Philharmonie de Paris. She also had a return to NHK Symphony Orchestra/Noseda, Brussells Philharmonic/Ono, and an extensive recital tour in Japan with Gianluca Cascioli.
In the upcoming season, Shoji will return to Israel for concerts with Israel Philharmonic Orchestra/Shani and they will collaborate again for the Japan tour. She will also make debut concerts with hr-Sinfonieorchester/Carydis, Hamburger Symphoniker/Sloane, BBC Symphony Orchestra/Wong and Orchestre de chambre de Genève/Waldman. In autumn, she will tour Japan with Modigliani Quartet and Benjamin Grosvenor for a unique chamber recital program which includes a play written and directed by Oriza Hiraza.Sayaka Shoji plays a Stradivarius ‘Recamier’ c.1729 kindly loaned to her by Ueno Fine Chemicals Industry Ltd.
Kian Soltani + -
Hailed by The Times as a “remarkable cellist” and described by Gramophone as “sheer perfection”, Kian Soltani’s playing is characterised by a depth of expression, sense of individuality and technical mastery, alongside a charismatic stage presence and ability to create an immediate emotional connection with his audience. He is now invited by the world’s leading orchestras, conductors and recital promoters, propelling him from rising star to one of the most talked about cellists performing today.
In 23/24 season he is the Focus Artist of Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and will share stages with Wiener Symphoniker, WDR Sinfonieorchester, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and NHK Symphony Orchestra. Aside from orchestral and recital concerts, he will maintain busy schedule comprising of tours with Camerata Salzburg and Mahler Chamber Orchestra.
He recently won Innovative Listening Experience Award at the coveted Opus Klassic Awards 2022, Germany’s most prestigious classical music prize which honours outstanding artists and recordings, for his ‘Cello Unlimited’ album released back in October 2021.
Born in Bregenz, Austria, in 1992 to a family of Persian musicians, Soltani began playing the cello at age four and was only twelve when he joined Ivan Monighetti’s class at the Basel Music Academy. He was chosen as an Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation scholarship holder in 2014 and completed his further studies as a member of the Young Soloist Programme at Germany’s Kronberg Academy. He received additional important musical training at the International Music Academy in Liechtenstein. As of October 2023, he holds position as a professor of cello at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.Kian Soltani plays “The London, ex Boccherini" Antonio Stradivari cello, kindly loaned to him by a generous sponsor through the Beares International Violin Society.
Nicola Piovani + -
Nicola Piovani was born in Rome, where he has always lived and worked, on May 26, 1946. A multifaceted musician, he has expressed his creativity in different musical genres. In the field of film music with the soundtrack composed for the feature film NP Il segreto by Silvano Agosti he launched his career as a film music composer, for which he has composed more than 200 soundtracks working with prestigious Italian and foreign directors.
In 1971 he co-composed with Fabrizio De André the albums "Non al denaro, non all'amore né al cielo" which was followed by "Storia di un impiegato." He later composed numerous songs, many of which were collected in 2013 in an album entitled Piovani cantabile.
From the beginning, Piovani combined his work in film with his work for the theater, writing stage music for productions by Carlo Cecchi, Luca De Filippo, Maurizio Scaparro and Vittorio Gassman, among others.
In 1989 he composed for Teatro Sistina the music for I sette re di Roma libretto by Gigi Magni, starring Gigi Proietti, directed by Pietro Garinei. In 2002 he composed for the Théâtre National de Chaillot, Alfredo Arias' musical comedy Concha Bonita, libretto by René de Ceccatty, directed by Alfredo Arias.
Nicola Piovani is the author of several concert compositions: Reflex, for two pianos; the Trio Il demone meschino; Ballata epica, for cello and orchestra; Carme inspired by Catullus's poetry; Cyberknife, rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra; L'assassino, quartet for four saxophones; Il volo di mare, preludio concertante for ten instruments; and the Sinfonia delle stagioni.
In 2022 he conducted Amorosa presenza, an opera he composed, at the Giuseppe Verdi Theater in Trieste. Piovani is Resident Artist of the Fondazione Musica Per Roma and Full Academician of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.
He has been awarded illustrious honors: in 2001 Commendatore OMRI. In 2008 Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des lettres On June 29, 2022 Honorary Doctorate of the University Perugia in 2022 Honorary Master Degree of the University of Parma.During his long career, he has won four David di Donatello, two Ciack d'Oro, five Nastri d'Argento, two Globi d'Oro (Foreign Press), Globo d'Oro alla carriera, Premio le Maschere del Teatro, Sound Stars Award for lifetime achievement, Oscar award.
Liya Petrova + -
Liya Petrova was revealed to the international scene in 2016 when she took First Prize at the Carl Nielsen competition in Denmark.
Two years later, she recorded the Nielsen and Prokofiev’s first concertos with the Odense Philharmonic and Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska for Orchid Classics. This first album earned her international acclaim from the press.
As a soloist, Petrova is the guest of orchestras such as the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre Philharmonique de RadioFrance, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Antwerp Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen, Staatskapelle Weimar, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Brussels Philharmonic (…).
She plays chamber music regularly with French Tchaikovsky competition 1st prize winner Alexandre Kantorow and performs with many wonderful musicians like Beatrice Rana, Emmanuel Pahud, Pablo Ferrandez, Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Mischa Maisky, Renaud Capuçon, Augustin Dumay, James Ehnes, Nicholas Angelich, Frank Braley, Yuja Wang, Gérard Caussé, Antoine Tamestit, Bruno Philippe, Aurélien Pascal and Gautier Capuçon. Petrova is a regular guest of chamber music festivals like the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festspiele, Rheingau Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, La Folle Journée, La Roque d’Anthéron International Festival and the Rencontres Musicales d’Evian.
Liya Petrova was born in Bulgaria into a family of musicians and studied with Augustin Dumay at Brussels’ Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth, Antje Weithaas at the Hochschule für Musik Hans Eisler Berlin and Renaud Capuçon at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Lausanne. She now lives in Paris. Liya plays the Helios, a magnificent instrument made in Cremona in 1735 by Stradivarius’ disciple Carlo Bergonzi, on generous loan by private sponsors.
Georgy Kovalev + -
Georgy Kovalev was born in Tiflis in 1990 and is one of the leading violists of his generation.
After studying with Yuri Bashmet and Nobuko Imai at the Kronberg Academy, he is furthering his studies with Tabea Zimmermann at HfM Hanns Eisler in Berlin.
Georgy has performed as soloist with major orchestras such as Kremerata Baltica, New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Soloists, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
He has been a finalist and prizewinner at the Moscow Yuri Bashmet International Competition and the Tokyo International Viola Competition. In 2011 he received the Neva Foundation Prize from the Verbier Festival.
In addition to being a member of the Delian Quartet, he is a very active chamber musician and collaborates with Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Steven Isserlis, Yuri Bashmet, Fazil Say, Frans Helmerson, Emanuel Ax, Jörg Widmann, Viviane Hagner, Claudio Bohorquez, Lawrence Lesser, at major festivals such as Schubertiade, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Rheingau Festival, Kronberg Academy Festival.
Georgy has played in the most prestigious halls around the world such as Victoria Hall (Geneva), Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), Philharmonie in Cologne, Kioi Hall (Tokyo), Prinz Regent Theater Hall (Munich), Gordon Bennett Hall (Chicago), Great Hall of the Moscow Consrvatory. He also recorded for German Radio together with his quartet Bach's The Art of Fugue.His future engagements will take him to the USA, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Korea, Holland, France, Austria and Italy.
Giuseppe Russo Rossi + -
At the age of 17 he graduated in violin and viola with honors and distinction from the Conservatorio "N.Piccinni" in Bari under C. Scarpati, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Hochschule der Künste in Bern.
He received the Sinopoli Prize from President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano for artistic merit. He also studied piano and Letters and Philosophy, lectured for Latin Literature at the University of Bari. He also collaborates with the Ludosofici and with magazines on philosophy and the art-divulgative sector for Corraini and Feltrinelli editions. He attends the contemporary poetry course of Alessandro Baricco's Holden School.
He has been a member of the Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan since 2010. He has performed as a soloist for Rai Radio3 Suite, Prague National Radio, Irish National Radio, Swiss Radio and Television, at the Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Carnegie Hall in New York, Boston Auditorium, Santa Cecilia Auditorium and Parco della Musica in Rome, Società dei Concerti and Società del Quartetto in Milan and in Switzerland, France, Japan and South America. He has won the Vittorio Veneto, Castrocaro Classica, Società Umanitaria, F.Gulli, Ibla Grand Prize-New York, Geminiani, Palmi competitions, awarded prizes at the V.Gui and Pinerolo competitions.
He has collaborated on numerous tours in quintet and sextet with the Cremona Quartet and Andrea Lucchesini. He has performed Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with Marco Rizzi and then with Salvatore Accardo and the ORT and Padua and Veneto orchestras, Hindemith's "Der Scwanendreher" concerto with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, and his Variations on Themes by Rossini with the Cameristi della Scala at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan as soloist and conductor. In June 2021 he will perform pieces for solo viola at the Swiss Radio in Geneva at a concert with verse readings by poet Maria Russo Rossi.
Ludovica Rana + -
Born in 1995 in a family of musicians, Ludovica started her soloist career at a young age, performing in recitals for prestigious concert societies, including Società dei Concerti di Milano, Cremona Mondo Musica, Fazioli Concert Hall, Accademia Filarmonica di Messina, Varignana Music Festival, I concerti del Quirinale, Festival Classiche Forme, as well as a soloist with many orchestras, such as Orchestra ICO di Lecce, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto and Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana.
As a chamber musician, she had numerous collaborations with the sister Beatrice Rana, Enrico Dindo, Pablo Ferràndez, Giovanni Sollima, Bruno Giuranna, Oleg Kaskiv, Francesco Libetta, Massimo Quarta, Danilo Rossi, Alessandro Taverna, Pavel Vernikov.
After graduating with honors in 2014 at the Istituto Musicale “Giovanni Paisiello” in Taranto, in the class of Andrea Agostinelli, Ludovica continued her studies with Enrico Dindo at the Pavia Cello Academy and at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, where she achieved her Master in Music Performance, and with Giovanni Sollima at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, where she graduated with honours. At the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia she also completed with honours the Chamber Music course with Carlo Fabiano.
She also studied with renowned cellists, such as Michael Flaksman, Johannes Goritzki, Antonio Meneses, Frans Helmerson, Antonio Mosca, Asier Polo, Troels Svane, Rafael Wallfish.
Since 2024 she is the Artistic Director Festival di Pasqua in Lecce. She is Chamber Music professor at the Conservatoire “Niccolò Piccinni” in Bari.
Giorgio Magistroni + -
Born in Milan in 1996, he started his double bass studies at the age of sixteen at the Liceo Musicale F. Casorati in Novara, and later continued in the same city at the Conservatoire G. Cantelli. He graduated with honours in 2020 under the guidance of M. Roberto Panetta.
He attended Masterclasses with some of the most important international double bassists, such as Enrico Fagone, Giuseppe Ettorre, Edicson Ruiz, Thierry Barbè, Milto Masciadri and others.
He has played in professional orchestras, including Filarmonica del Teatro alla Scala, Orchestra del Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, OSI Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, collaborating with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Christoph Koenig, Markus Poschner, and others.
Active chamber musician, he performed with different ensembles many important pieces from the repertoire for double bass. These include Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, Schubert’s Octet, Prokofiev’s Quintet, Stravinsky’s Histoire du Soldat and many others.
Together with the pianist Greta Raciti, he founded the duo Magistroni Raciti, to explore the solo repertoire for double bass, often performing in concerts and recitals.
In 2022 he was selected as double bassist at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan after an international double bass audition.He is currently attending the Master of Arts and Performance at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in the prestigious class of M. Enrico Fagone.
Aleksey Shadrin + -
Cellist Aleksey Shadrin, who was a member of the Kronberg Academy Master Program, was born into a family of musicians in Ukraine. He won the first prize of the 4th M. Lysenko International Music Competition in 2012. In 2018, he has been awarded the 3d Prize at the Prague Spring competition.
Following his early successes in numerous competitions, including the National Ukrainian Competition for Strings in Lvov/Lemberg and the 8th National Ukrainian Competition “New Names” in Kiev, he became in 2004 a scholar of the International Foundation of violinist and conductor Vladimir Spivakov.
In 2005, Aleksey Shadrin was a finalist in the 3rd David Popper International Competition in Hungary, and in 2008, he won the 2nd prize at The International Competition in Minsk. Following his competition successes, he has performed in major concert halls of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, France, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Holland and Portugal.
Aleksey Shadrin has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the National Opéra national de Montpellier, and the Sudwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz.
In 2016, he made his debut appearance at the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2017, he appeared as a soloist with the NDR Radiophilharmonie with Andrew Manze in the Grosser Sendesaal in Hannover, and made his debut appearance at the Hamburg Chamber Music Festival.
Aleksey Shadrin received his Bachelor and Master of Musical Arts at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover with Prof. Leonid Gorokhov.
He is currently studying with Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy.
Since September 2020, he’s an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, studying with Gary Hoffman.
Aleksey benefits from a scholarship granted by M. & Mrs. Charles Adriaenssen. Aleksey plays on a cello generously loaned by the Guttman Foundation.
Alexander Malofeev + -
Alexander Malofeev rose to international prominence in 2014, winning First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians when he was only 13 years old. Malofeev's major projects in recent months include a tour in Asia with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Chailly and performances with the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari and Mikhail Pletnev, in the UK with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kirill Karabits, and in Italy with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI and Fabio Luisi.
Alexander Malofeev performs with the world's most prestigious orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orchestra of the National Academy of St. Cecilia, the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala. Alexander Malofeev performs regularly with, among others, the most famous conductors, including Riccardo Chailly, Mikhail Pletnev, Myung-Whun Chung, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, JoAnn Falletta, Susanna Mälkki, Lionel Bringuier, Alondra de la Parra.
Alexander Malofeev has appeared at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, where he performed for the 30th anniversary of the Meester Pianists series, at Teatro alla Scala, at the Kurhaus Wiesbaden, at the Herkulessaal in Munich, at the Philharmonie de Paris, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.
In addition to the First Prize in the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, Alexander Malofeev has won numerous other prizes and awards in international competitions and festivals, including the Grand Prix of the First International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition, the 'Young Musical Talent' award, and the 'Best Young Musician' award in 2017. Also in 2017, Alexander Malofeev became the first Young Yamaha Artist. In 2019, he received Second Prize at the first China International Music Competition. In spring 2020, the Sony Classical label released the "Tchaikovsky 2020" box set for the composer's 180th anniversary, including Tchaikovsky's First Concerto recorded together with the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Sladkovsky. Alexander Malofeev was born in Moscow in October 2001. He studied at legendary institutions: the Institute for Young Musicians 'Gnessin' and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
Hyeyoon Park + -
Hyeyoon Park is an artist of outstanding focus and virtuosity, combining effortlessly rich sonority with musical integrity. The youngest ever winner of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 2009, she is in demand as both a soloist and chamber musician.
Forthcoming highlights this season include performances of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto at the opening of the Night Serenades International Music Festival, Georgia and Paul Klee Centre, Bern. She performs with Stuttgart Philhamonic (Prokofiev 1), Johannesburg Philharmonic and KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic (Shostakovich 1). In recital, Hyeyoon appears at Snape Summer Festival, Spotlight Chamber, Villa Pappendorf, Gran Canaria and at Piano Musée Wurth. Chamber projects include European touring with her long-standing Piano Quartet colleagues - Kian Soltani, Timothy Ridout and Benjamin Grosvenor including at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Laeiszhalle, Hamburg as well as part of a horn trio with Ben Goldscheider and Fiachra Garvey in a programme of Huw Watkins and Brahms.
Hyeyoon received the London Music Masters Award in 2012, and is now a proud Ambassador of the same charity, which gives children from underprivileged areas a much-needed platform to experience classical music education in the UK.
Hyeyoon studied at the junior colleges of the Korean National University of Arts and University of Cincinnati with Professor Piotr Milewski. She also studied with Professor Antje Weithaas at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin and with Christian Tetzlaff as a Young Soloist at the Kronberg Academy, where she completed her Master’s degree in 2016 which was kindly supported by the Nikolas Gruber Stipendium.Hyeyoon plays a violin made by German violin-maker, Stefan-Peter Greiner.
Benjamin Grosvenor + -
British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is internationally recognized for his sonorous lyricism and understated brilliance at the keyboard. His virtuosic interpretations are underpinned by a unique balance of technical mastery and intense musicality.
A celebrated recitalist, this season Grosvenor makes his debut in the Luzerns KlavierFestival ‘Le Piano Symphonique’, where his Liszt-inspired programme features a World Premiere by Brett Dean, which later receives US and UK premieres at Chicago Symphony Master series and the Wigmore Hall respectively. He also gives recitals at Konan Kumin Cultural Center Yokohama, Cologne Philharmonie, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Klavier Festival Ruhr, Hong Kong City Hall, Darmstadt, Bridgewater Hall and Sala Verdi, Milan. A keen chamber musician, he tours Japan with violinist Sayaka Shoji and Modigliani Quartet in a programme featuring Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet – including his debut at Suntory Hall, Tokyo. He also tours with his Piano Quartet including regular collaboration with Hyeyoon Park, Timothy Ridout, Kian Soltani – with whom he appears with at numerous venues including the Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and Laeiszhalle, Hamburg.
Grosvenor has received Gramophone’s ‘Young Artist of the Year’, a Classical Brit Critics’ Award, UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent and a Diapason d’Or Jeune Talent Award. He has been featured in two BBC television documentaries, BBC Breakfast, Front Row, as well as in CNN’s ‘Human to Hero’ series. In 2016, he became the inaugural recipient of The Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize with the New York Philharmonic.Following studies at the Royal Academy of Music, he graduated in 2012 with the ‘Queen’s Commendation for Excellence’ and in 2016 was awarded a RAM Fellowship. Benjamin is an Ambassador of Music Masters, a charity dedicated to making music education accessible to all children regardless of their background, championing diversity and inclusion.
Quartetto Modigliani + -
Founded in 2003, the Modigliani Quartet is recognised as one of today’s most soughtafter quartets, featuring regularly in prominent international series and on the world’s most prestigious stages.
In addition to annual tours in the United States and in Asia, the quartet’s numerous European tours have brought them to Wigmore Hall, the Paris Philharmonie, the Théâtre des Champs Elysées, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonia and the Elbphil-harmonie in Hamburg. After reviving the Rencontres Musicales Evian in 2014, of which they assured the artistic direction for 8 years, the quartet was entrusted with the artistic direction of the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2020. As part of their festival “Vibre !”, the quartet counts some of the greatest quartets and chamber music ensembles amongst their guests artists. Through masterclasses and workshops, the festival provides an ideal environment to work with and mentor the young gen-eration, a mission at the heart of the quartet’s activities. The quartet is also the founder of the Saint-Paul-de-Vence Festival and the Arcachon Chamber Music Festival, both created in 2011.
The Modigliani Quartet also performs and commissions a wide range of contemporary works from composers including Marc-Antony Turnage, Philippe Hersant, Peter Vasks, Kaija Saariaho and Evgeny Kissin.
The quartet enjoys cultivating close friendships with their chamber music partners, amongst them artists such as Sabine Meyer, Renaud and Gauthier Capuçon, Jean-Frédéric Neuberger, Beatrice Rana, Michel Dalberto, Fazil Say, Augustin Dumay, Amihai Grosz, Gary Hoffman, Paul Meyer, Michel Portal and Daniel Müller-Schott.
The Modigliani Quartet also thanks the SPEDIDAM for its help.Through the support of generous sponsors, the Modigliani Quartet has the privilege of playing four magnificent Italien instruments. Amaury Coeytaux plays a 1715 violin by Antonio Stradivarius "Prince Léopold", Loïc Rio plays a 1780 violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Laurent Marfaing plays a 1660 viola by Luigi Mariani, François Kieffer plays a 1706 cello by Matteo Goffriller.
Andrea Cellacchi + -
Andrea Cellacchi is principal bassoonist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra since April 2022. His journey with the bassoon took off at the age of ten. At sixteen, he graduated with the highest possible grades at the Ottorino Respighi Latin Music Conservatory. Meanwhile, he was admitted to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome for his masterstudies with Francesco Bossone. In 2020 he continued his studies with a master Specialized Music Performance, studying with Matthias Rácz at the Zurich University of the Arts.
In 2016, Andrea Cellacchi gained international prestige after winning first prize at the Aeolus International Competition in Düsseldorf and the Muri Competition in Switzerland, the first Italian ever to win both prestigious awards. He was also the winner of the Premio Abbado 2015, the Audimozart! bassoon competition 2016 and the International Fox-Gillet Competition in Granada in 2018. At the the Internationaler Instrumentalwettbewerb Markneukirchen in 2019 he won second prize.
At nineteen years old, he was appointed principal bassoonist of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Between 2019 and 2021 he held the same position at the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin.
Mirko Landoni + -
Mirko Landoni, born in 1988, graduated in horn at the Conservatorio 'G. Verdi' under the guidance of Maestro Brunello Gorla. Landoni furthered his studies by attending the 'Scuola di Musica di Fiesole' and the 'Master of Art in Music Performance' at the Conservatory of Lugano. After attending numerous Masterclasses with internationally renowned musicians, he won an audition at the 'Teatro alla Scala in Milan' in 2010, where he remained until 2013. Over the years he has collaborated with major orchestras such as the 'Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI', the 'Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro Sinfonico di Milano Giuseppe Verdi' and the 'Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini'. He is currently a member of the 'Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia' and gives lessons in both horn and the psychology of musical performance.
Alessandro Quarta + -
CNN on May 6, 2014 wrote about Alessandro Quarta: "Musical Genius, Composer, Violin Virtuoso". On 30 November 2017 he received, at the Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome in the Sala della Regina, the Award "Best Italian Excellence in the World" for the Music section. From 2005 to 2008 he was Violin and Second Shoulder of the Symphonica Toscanini orchestra, permanent conductor Lorin Maazel, performing in the most important theaters in the world under the direction of Masters L. Maazel, E. Inbal, C. Dutoit, M. Rostropovich, M.W. Chung, G. Pretre, Y. Temirkanov, K.Masur, Z. Metha.Ospite on raiuno for the transmission of Roberto Bolle "Dance with me" for 2 editions: on 1 January 2019 with his "Dorian Gray" obtaining the highest number of shares equal to 5 Million viewers; and in 2022 with his arrangements of Astor Piazzolla "Alma Portena". In 2019, in Sanremo with Il Volo, he received the Standing Ovation from the Ariston Theatre, the TV and the Press, for his performance and his initial arrangement of the song "Musica che resta" in the in competition. Always live TV has performed in Padua at the Festival Show in front of 40 thousand spectators with its Piazzolla, and on raiuno as International Guest for the Festival of Taranta 2019 in front of 220 thousand spectators present, interpreting 3 pieces of which one written and arranged specifically for the event. It opened and closed the "Stradivari Festival" in Cremona for 2 years, in 2022 presented as world premiere the "Suite Dysturbia" written for 2 violìni specially by Alessandro for the prestigious Festival and performed with his brother Massimo Quarta and in September 2023, always as a world premiere, he presented his latest work "I 5 Elementi" (Terra-Acqua-Aria-Fuoco- Etere), whose final piece "Etere" was chosen by Roberto Bolle for his "sphere" step during his Tours for the show "Bolle & Friends". He plays an Alessandro Gagliano from 1723 and a Giovan Battista Guadagnini from 1761.
Giuseppe Magagnino + -
Giuseppe, jazz pianist, composer, arranger, graduated in classical piano at the Conservatory "Tito Schipa" in Lecce and subsequently graduated with 110 cum laude in Jazz Music at the Conservatory "Niccolò Piccinni" in Bari. He attended several intensive seminars studying with the likes of Pier Narciso Masi for classical music and Stefano Bollani for Jazz.
His career was immediately enriched by important experiences and collaborations.
He created the Mag Trio, a line-up with which he has already played several concerts in collaboration with many Apulian jazz musicians.
He has supported the recording projects of the Salento percussionist Gabriele Poso and has participated in numerous international tours of promotion.
The American producer Osunlade chose him for the formation of the Yoruba Soul Orchestra with which he recorded two records and participated in international tours.
Since 2009 he has collaborated with the violinist Alessandro Quarta with whom he has performed in prestigious Italian and European theatres ranging from the "classical" repertoire to jazz.
In 2021 his first solo album, "My Inner Child", was born and took shape with the “Mag Trio”, in which Giuseppe is accompanied by Luca Alemanno on double bass and Karl-Henrik Ousbäck on drums. In summer 2022, he began an intense activity of concerts with his project, he began to plan the new album, a natural evolution of the first record work. In March 2023 held a series of presentation concerts in Germany, In Munich and province.
On May 12, 2023, with Gleam Records, he released his second solo release “After the Rain”. A new album where Giuseppe, accompanied by Luca Alemanno on double bass and Vladimir Kostadinovic on drums, continues his expressive research in piano trio and piano only by experimenting in two tracks the string orchestra arrangement curated by the Violinist/ Composer Alessandro Quarta.
I solisti filarmonici italiani
Federico Guglielmo, Alessandro Ferrari, Enrico Balboni, Luigi Puxeddu, Amerigo Bernardi + -
I Solisti Filarmonici Italiani are one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles/orchestras.
The peculiar tradition of Italian sound and virtuosity established in 1950 by I Virtuosi di Roma and since than worldwide appreciated among others by the critics of The New York Times, The Washington Post, Il Corriere della Sera, Diapason, CD Classica, Gramophone, Amadeus, The New York Times, Suddeutsche Zeitung continues until today with the newly-founded and named group.
The orchestra’s membership is comprised exclusively of leaders and first solo parts from the major italian orchestras and international competitions winners.
They play a repertoire from the string Sextet to the String Orchestra always without conductor.
Worthy of special mention in their wide activities are the successful appearances in New York, Washington, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Buenos Aires, San Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Amsterdam, Berlin, Bonn, Munich, Vienna, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Rome, Istanbul, Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Osaka touring with friends as Kathleen Battle, Hansjorg Schellenberger, Milan Turkovic, Michala Petri, Mstislav Rostropovic, Paul Badura-Skoda, Charlotte Margiono, Andrea Griminelli etc.
Their extensive discography comprises recordings with Denon Nippon Columbia, Altus Music, Stradivarius, Velut Luna, Decca and CPO.
Recent recording activities include the complete works for String Orchestra by Grieg, a selection of rare scores (Stage and Film music) in autograph versions by N.Rota and E.Morricone, a collection of unpublished Italian Virtuoso pieces for Strings of the XIX century, the String Octet and the Piano Sextet by Mendelssohn, a selection of famous Italian Baroque pieces transcribed for string orchestra by Respighi and Zandonai and a Decca recording with the flutist Andrea Griminelli.
Future plans include the complete works for Strings by Tchaikovsky with CPO.Moreover the group plays regularly in many European countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain) and every two years is touring extensively Usa, South America, Japan, China and Corea.
Massimo Spada + -
Massimo Spada, born in Rome in 1986, began his piano studies at the age of six and graduated with honours at Conservatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome in 2005, in the class of Pieralberto Biondi. He also studied with Boris Petrushansky, Riccardo Risaliti, Benedetto Lupo and Stefano Fiuzzi, Lazar Berman, Elissò Virsaladze, Joaquin Soriano and Andrea Lucchesini.
In 2009 he achieved his degree with honours in Music History at the Università La Sapienza in Rome.
He regularly performs solo recitals and chamber music concerts in duo and trio formations. Among the musicians with whom he collaborated there are Beatrice Rana, Andrea Obiso, Andrea Oliva, Roberto González-Monjas, Simone Lamsma, David and Diego Romano, to name just a few. His intense concert activity led him to perform in many venues and festivals in Italy and abroad, including Parco della Musica in Rome, Festival MiTo in Turin, Festival Internazionali per la Pace in Assisi, Sagra Malatestiana in Rimini, and for several prestigious concerts series in Venice, Padua, Bologna, Cuneo, Matera, La Spezia, Sulmona, Catania, Siracusa, Campobasso, Aosta.
He promotes contemporary music and often performs pieces dedicated to him. Since 2011 he is the pianist of Ensemble Novecento, conducted by Carlo Rizzari, with whom he promoted new music of emerging composers.
He was awarded a First Prize in many international competitions, including J. S. Bach Competition in Sestri Levante, Rospigliosi Competition in Lamporecchio, Premio Sergio Cafaro.Very active as a teacher, he is piano professor at Conservatorio Morlacchi in Perugia and he is one of the founders and artistic directors of the International Music School Avos Project, where he teaches from 2020.
I virtuosi di Sansevero + -
The Ensemble I virtuosi di Sansevero originated from an idea of Riccardo Zamuner, young Neapolitan violinist, who put together some of the most talented string students of the Stauffer Academy in Cremona, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and other important International Academies, to create a string Ensemble without conductor, where every member is an outstanding soloist.
The ensemble is very versatile. In its entirety it consists of 11 musicians, but repertoire written for various chamber ensembles is often programmed: this includes string trio, quartet, quintet, sextet and octet. In many performances the young musicians are joined by world renowned artists.
The project is based on the idea of excellence. In fact, the concert venues are also important artistic places of our city, such as Cappella Sansevero, the Pio Monte della Misericordia and other Churches and Museums.
Furthermore, I Virtuosi di Sansevero support the environment with their slogan “Seminiamo Cultura” (Planting seeds of culture). In every concert venue a plant symbolizes rebirth and hope for a future of natural and spiritual development.All the Ensemble members have an intense concert activity both as soloists and as chamber musicians, as well as in prestigious orchestras, and are prize-winners in important International Competitions.The Ensemble debuted in 2017 in the evocative Cappella Sansevero in Naples. Since then, they have performed in important artistic venues in Naples and in Italy.
Trio Rinaldo + -
The Rinaldo Trio is establishing itself on the national music scene by having played in some of the most prestigious italian festivals among which “I Concerti al Quirinale”, “Chigiana Summer Festival” and “Asolo Musica", also having played with M° Bruno Giuranna.
Born in Margherita di Giovanni's chamber music class at the “Rinaldo Franci” Conservatory in Siena, it takes part in Maestro Bruno Giuranna and Clive Greensmith’s Courses at the Chigiana Summer Academy, receiving three Diplomas of Merit and winning the “Pia Bassi” Scholarship. Since 2022 it studies at the Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona and, also thanks to a scholarship, at "Avos Project" in Rome.It attends various masterclasses and lessons with the Maisky Trio and M° Francesco Dillon, Marco Fornaciari, Mark Messenger, Isabel Villanueva, Riccardo Donati, Matteo Fossi, Marco Gaggini.
Federica Severini + -
Federica Severini, born in 1996, graduated in violin at the Conservatorio San Pietro a Majella in Naples with top marks, honours and mention. She attended Maestro Salvatore Accardo's masterclasses at the Accademia W. Stauffer in Cremona and obtained a diploma in both violin and chamber music at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. He obtained his MAS (Master of Advanced Studies) at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano with Maestro Klaidi Sahatci. He studied at the Hochschule in Mannheim with Maestro Marco Rizzi for the master's degree in "Orchestersolist".
She currently teaches violin at the Conservatorio C. Gesualdo da Venosa in Potenza and has taught chamber music at the Conservatorio Martucci in Salerno and violin at the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Mascagni in Livorno. She won First Prize at the 'American Protègè - International Concerto Competition' in New York, performing at Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall, and First Absolute Prize at the 'Dinu Lipatti' International Competition in Rome. As a member of the Trio Pragma he won the European Competition 'Jacopo Napoli', International Competition of Magliano Sabina.
A strong interest in contemporary music led her to collaborate with the Ensemble Biennale College of the Venice Biennale in 2015/16, with Divertimento Ensemble and Syntax Ensemble, as well as with the Ensemble '900 of the Accademia. Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Ensemble Bernasconi of the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
She collaborated as a sideman with the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto for the 2021 season. She was a violinist in the Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi in Milan and was a candidate in the competition for violinist in the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI. She has been a member of the Orchestra dell'Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan, also performing as a sideman. She has collaborated with the Cameristi della Scala, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Teatro Verdi in Salerno, Orchestra da Camera Italiana, Solisti Aquilani, Tiroler Festspiele Orchesterakademie, Camerata Ducale.
He plays a 1912 Romeo Antoniazzi violin.
Anzhe Zuo + -
Anzhe Zuo, cellist, born in China, has been living in Zurich since 2015. Her talent allows her to look beyond the surface of musical pieces and create new connections.
In 2022 he won First Prize at the Vienna International Music Competition in the cello category, in 2021 Second Prize at the VIII Stockholm International Music Competition. In 2010, she won Second Prize at the National Chinese cello competition Aegean (Ai-Qin) in Beijing. Thanks to her impressive performance, she was selected as a soloist for the soundtrack of the Chinese film 'Chen Shaomei'. In 2016, she was invited as a jury member to the International 'New Stars' Competition.
As a soloist and chamber musician, Anzhe performs regularly in Europe and Asia. He has performed on prestigious stages such as the National Grand Theater in Beijing, Sogar Theater in Zurich and 'Gare du Nord für Neue Musik' in Basel, Tonhalle Zürich, and others. He founded the Amúr Duo with Swedish guitarist Anders Miolin. She has been principal cellist of the Zurich Chamber Philharmonie since 2022. In 2023, she was selected as cellist of the Bergen National Opera Summer Academy.
At the age of four, he began receiving piano lessons. A few years later, the cello became her greatest passion and main occupation. She studied at the Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK after graduating from the Tianjin Conservatory. In Zurich, she obtained her two Master's degrees in Cello and Music Pedagogy with Orfeo Mandozzi.
Cellists Thomas Grossenbacher, Yehuda Hanani, Gavriel Lipkind and Yunxin Zhang were among his main teachers.
At music festivals and attending masterclasses, Anzhe Zuo drew further inspiration from great musicians such as Steven Isserlis, Arto Noras, David Geringas, Natalia Gutman, Wen Sinn Yang and Yibing Zhu.
After these studies, he started the composition education programme in 2019 under the guidance of Till Löffler.
Anzhe Zuo considers it essential to broaden his musical horizons with a deep understanding of music.
In addition to playing the cello, he studied the baroque cello and viola da gamba with Martin Zeller.
He perfected his piano studies with Carl Wolf and new music playing with Martina Schucan.
Anzhe Zuo also developed her artistic sensitivity and creativity as an abstract painter. She built her own system of synesthesia by creating abstract paintings inspired by specific pieces of music she worked on.
His compositions explore the limits of the unique and rich world of sound that only a cello can express.
Pier Carmine Garzillo + -
Described by the press as "a solid reality of the Neapolitan Piano School," the distinguished musicologist and music critician Paolo Isotta wrote, "Pier Carmine owns that lunge of the key and that cantabile that show him to be a rightful heir to the teaching of Vincenzo Vitale."
Born in Naples in 1995, he graduated in piano with M° Francesco Nicolosi and in composition at the "D. Cimarosa" Conservatory of Avellino, and graduated in musicology from "La Sapienza" University in Rome. He specialized with M° Giuseppe Devastato in "Interpretación Musical e Investigación Performativa" at the Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio in Madrid and with M° Nazzareno Carusi in Chamber Music at the Piano Academy of Imola. He completed the 3rd level Biennium in Instrumental Musical Heritage with a focus on Solo Piano at the Academy of Music in Pinerolo.
He has performed for the Unione Musicale of Turin and in major concert halls, including the Metallener Saal of the Müsikverein in Vienna, the auditorium of the Scriabin Museum in Moscow, and the Shigeru Kawai Center in Madrid. He has won awards in prestigious international competitions, including Grand Prix at the IV Cesar Franck IPC in Brussels and VII Pianotalents IPC in Milan, and 2nd Prize at the XVII "Compositores de España" IPC in Madrid.
He is the author of the essay "Liszt allo specchio: dal De Profundis al Totentanz" ("Liszt in the Mirror: from De Profundis to Totentanz", PM Editions, 2019), and has recorded the solo CD "Liszt: Konzertsolos" (Da Vinci Classics, 2020) and the CD "Romantic Echoes" (Luna Rossa Classic, 2019) as a duo with violinist Federica Severini.He currently teaches piano at the State Conservatory of Music "Domenico Cimarosa" in Avellino, and attends the Advanced Piano Training Course with Mo Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
Trio Alea + -
Trio Alea was founded in 2023 at the international music school "Avos- Project." Composed of Viola Pasquini, violin, Dario Callà, pianoforte and Mattia Geracitano on cello. Upcoming engagements include participation in the "Classiche Forme" festival conceived by pianist Beatrice Rana.
Viola Pasquini, born in Arezzo in 2004, began violin studies at the age of 5. She has won numerous national and international competitions and studied with world-renowned masters. Noteworthy are her appearances between 2020 and 2021 within the Junior Orchestra of the Verbier Festival (Switzerland) and the Concertgebouw orkest Young in Amsterdam (Netherlands) From 2023, she continues her studies at the Avos Project International Academy in Rome with Mirei Yamada and David Romano.
Mattia Geracitano, born in 1999, began studying the cello at age 10. He has won awards in national and international competitions and has distinguished himself as a soloist in orchestral and chamber projects. He has played in chamber ensembles for institutions such as IUC Concerts in Rome, Villa Pennisi in Musica and "Horto chamber music Festival" (Greece). Graduated with honors and honorable mention, he has been specializing with Maestro Alessio Pianelli at the Avos Academy in Rome, where he has also been teaching basic cello courses since 2021.
Dario Callà, born in 2001, began studying piano at the age of seven and completed the academic course with highest honors, distinction and honorable mention. He has participated in master classes with renowned pianists and attends advanced courses at Avos Project with Maestro Mario Montore. A winner of national and international competitions, he regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician in renowned Italian venues, including IUC Concerti in Rome and Maggio della musica in Naples, (...).