Artists

Quartetto Adorno was founded in 2015: their name is a tribute to the great philosopher Theodor Wiesengrund Adorno who, in an age of musical and social decline, saw chamber music as the only path to salvation. Adorno claimed that this genre kept the relationship between human beings and music authentic, upholding values such as respect and a desire of perfection. 

Despite their recent foundation, the Quartetto Adorno has already performed for important promoters. Important collaborations include great artists such as P. Badura-Skoda, G. Bandini, E. Bronzi, B. Canino, A. Carbonare, M. Da Silva, F. Di Rosa, S. Gramaglia, L. Lortie, F. Meloni, P. Meyer, A. Oliva, F. Ragghianti, G. Sollima. 

In 2019 the first CD is published by the Label Decca Italia with the A. von Zemlinsky No. 3 String Quartet and the J. Brahms Clarinet Quintet Op. 115 together with Alessandro Carbonare. In 2021 for the Label Decca Italia they recorded the M. Castelnuovo Tedesco Guitar Quintet with Giampaolo Bandini and in 2022 they recorded the C. Franck String Quintet for the Label Fuga Libera. In 2023 the Enescu String Octet Op. 7 is released for the Label Fuga Libera and in 2024 the completed quartets by Castelnuovo-Tedesco for the Label Naxos. 

They are engaged in the performance of the complete L van Beethoven quartets at “Viotti Festival” in Vercelli and “Amici della Musica” in Cagliari. They completed it at at “Associazione Musicale Lucchese”,“Festival di Musica da Camera” Urbino, “Musikamera” at Sale Apollinee in Teatro La Fenice in Venice. 

Alessandro Angelini (Siena, 1958) graduated in Modern Literature with a specialization in Art History from the University of Siena in 1982. 

Since his undergraduate thesis, his research interests have focused on Renaissance painting and sculpture in Siena and Tuscany. He has published books, articles, and essays in catalogues and journals, particularly in Prospettiva, an art history journal where he has served on the editorial board since 2000. He has participated, as a collaborator or curator, in organizing exhibitions dedicated to Renaissance art, such as Sassetta e i pittori toscani dal XIII al XV secolo at the Chigi Saracini collection with L. Bellosi (1986); Da Sodoma a Marco Pino (1988), curated by F. Sricchia Santoro; and major exhibitions on the Renaissance in Siena and Tuscany including Domenico Beccafumi e il suo tempo (Siena, 1990) and Francesco di Giorgio e il Rinascimento a Siena (1993), both curated by L. Bellosi, as well as Pittura di luce (Florence, 1990) and Una scuola per Piero (Florence, 1992), also curated by L. Bellosi. He authored the catalogue for the exhibition Disegni italiani del tempo di Donatello (Florence, Department of Prints and Drawings at the Uffizi). His focus on Renaissance subjects continued with the volume he edited, Pio II e le arti. La riscoperta dell’antico da Federighi a Michelangelo (Cinisello Balsamo, 2005) and the book Piero della Francesca (Milan, 2014). He collaborated on the exhibition Renaissance Siena. Art for a City (London, 2007), curated by L. Syson. He also curated and designed the exhibition Domenico Beccafumi, l’artista da giovane, dedicated to Beccafumi’s early works, held at the Civic Museum of Montepulciano (2017). He was a co-curator of the exhibition Federico da Montefeltro e Francesco di Giorgio. Urbino crogiolo delle arti, curated alongside G. Fattorini and G. Russo, held in Urbino in 2022.

Since his doctoral studies, his interests have additionally encompassed 17th-century sculpture in Rome, particularly the figure of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. This work culminated in the book Gian Lorenzo Bernini e i Chigi tra Roma e Siena (Cinisello Balsamo, 1998), which won the 1999 Fondazione Basso e Borghese di Artena prize for the best book of the year on a Roman art topic. In 2000, alongside Monika Butzek and Bernardina Sani, he curated the exhibition Alessandro VII Chigi, il papa senese di Roma moderna in Siena. He has dedicated further articles and essays to Bernini and Giuseppe Mazzuoli. In 2024, he published the book Arte di corte nell’Europa del Seicento. Velazquez, Bernini, Poussin (Rome, 2024) with Carocci Editore. Alongside Michele Pellegrini, he edited the volume La chiesa di San Vigilio a Siena. Storia e arte (Olschki, Florence 2018), and co-edited La chiesa di San Martino a Siena with M. Fagiani and M. Pellegrini (Olschki, Florence 2024).

BARBARA LEANDRO

In May 2023, she made her debut as a soloist performing Dmitri Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 102, at the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

She has participated in and won numerous competitions, including: the absolute first prize at the 11th Amigdala International Music Competition; first prize at the 12th “Sonja Pahor” European Piano Competition and the 6th “Diapason d’oro” International Competition for Young Musicians; and second prize at the 4th “Città di Sarzana” International Music Performance Competition.

In April 2024, she placed as a semifinalist in the “London International Concerto Competition 2024”.

Among others, she has attended masterclasses with Massimo Somenzi and Massimiliano Mainolfi.

She recently completed an internship at the “Pôle d’Enseignement Supérieur du Spectacle Vivant Le Pont Supérieur” in Rennes as an accompanist, during which she performed at the Conservatory’s Chapel and Auditorium in collaboration with musicians from the Orchestre National de Bretagne.

FRANCESCO DI GIACINTO

He has performed in prestigious venues such as the Kleine Zaal of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Auditorium of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and the KKL in Lucerne. He has won absolute first prizes at the “Premio Crescendo” International Competition, the Palmanova International Competition, the Stresa International Competition, the International Grand Prize Virtuoso in Amsterdam, and the Atri “Rotary Club” Competition, as well as second prizes at the Treviso International Competition and the London Music Competition. He was invited to serve on the jury for the 14th and 15th editions of the Treviso International Competition.

In the field of contemporary music, he collaborated with the “Ex-Novo” ensemble playing “Solo” and “Aulodia per Lothar” (later broadcast on Rai Radio3), recorded “Venetian Journals” with the “Bruno Maderna” ensemble for the Dynamics Classic record label, and performed at the Lucerne Festival Forward.

He has given oboe and piano recitals for “Musica con le Ali” at the Sale Apollinee of the Teatro La Fenice, the Oratorio del Gonfalone in Rome, the Sacile International Concert Review, and others, offering a wide-ranging repertoire from Bach and Schumann to Hindemith, Lutosławski, and Dutilleux.

Active in chamber music for winds, he has performed in various ensembles ranging from trios to quintets: at the Liszt Festival in Grottammare, the Basilica of San Zeno in Verona, for the Teatro Flavio Vespasiano Foundation in Rieti, in the Benedetto Marcello summer season, at the Tagliacozzo International Midsummer Festival, and for the season of the “Barattelli” Society of L’Aquila.

ANNALISA BISCEGLIA

Annalisa Bisceglia was born in 2009 into a family of violinists and began studying the violin at the age of 4 using the Suzuki method.
She continued her studies with her father and later enrolled at the Bolzano Conservatory in the class of Maestro Ilija Marinkovic, where she is currently studying.
She has taken part in masterclasses with Ilija Grubert, Lukas Hagen, Oleksandr Semchuk, Ksenia Milas, Cihat Aşkın, Giuseppe Gibboni, D. Bogdanovic, and S. Marcovici.
She has received prizes in national and international competitions, including:
In May 2024 she was the overall winner of the 21st edition of the International Competition “Premio Città di Pesaro.”
In November 2024 she won the “Pancolini – Young Talent” award at the International Competition “C. Scimone” in Padua and performed in concert accompanied by I Solisti Veneti.
She won 1st Prize at the International Competition “Valsesia Juniores 2024.”
She won 1st Absolute Prize at the International Competition “Città di Alessandria.”
In 2025 she won 1st Prize in the following competitions:
International Competition “Città di Belluno”
Competition “Città di Piove di Sacco”
International Competition “Città di Palmanova”
Anemos Competition in Rome, 1st Absolute Prize
She has performed as a soloist with orchestra in concerts in Bolzano, Trento, Montepulciano, and Matera, and in violin–piano duo in Pesaro (Casa Rossini).

Mjlla Franetovich was born in Riva del Garda in August 2003 and began studying the violin at the age of 8 with Maestro Piercarlo Torri.

She attended music schools and earned the ABRSM diplomas from the Royal Academy of Music in London at an early age, achieving the highest marks.

In January 2022, she also won the “Crescendo International Music Competition” in Padua, which gave her the opportunity to make her debut at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York.

As a soloist, she has recently performed with the “Città di Arco” Orchestra and the “Streichorchester Monteverdi Akademie.”

She performs regularly on various occasions, including at Casa Mozart for the Mozart Italia Association, for the Philharmonic Society of Ala, for the “Invito all’Ascolto” concert season at the Sala Filarmonica in Trento, at Palazzo dei Capitani in Malcesine for the “Musica a Palazzo” concert season and Benacus Chamber Orchestra, for the concert series of the Amadeus Academy, at the “Musica Riva Festival”, for the “Amici della Musica di Riva del Garda” Association, for the “Ensemble Serenissima” Association, at the “Concerti del Tempietto” Festival in Rome, at the Monferrato Music Festival, and for Agimus Padua.

She is the first violinist of the Brisa Quartet, a quartet formed in January 2026 in Bolzano under the guidance of Maestro Andrea Repetto.

FIAMMA ACOSTA PAVERINI

Born in August 1998 in the city of Cordoba, Argentina, she began studying the violin at the age of three through the Suzuki Method at the National University of Cordoba, under the guidance of Professor Leila Airut. She later continued her musical training with Hernan Testa, Finlay Ferguson, Rafael Gintoli, Ingeborg Scheerer, Luciano Casalino, and Nicolas Villafane.

In August 2025, she earned her Master’s Degree in Instrumental Performance – Violin from the National University of Cordoba (UNC), Argentina. At the end of 2025, she moved to Italy to continue her studies at the Claudio Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano, where she is currently enrolled in the Master’s program in String Quartet under the guidance of Maestro Andrea Repetto.

She has also performed as a soloist, playing Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in August 2019 in the main hall of the Teatro del Libertador (Cordoba), together with the theater’s academic orchestra. In November 2024, she performed Camille Saint-Saens’ Violin Concerto No. 3 with the Orchestra of the National University of Cordoba, on both occasions conducted by Maestro Hadrian Avila Arzuza.

She is currently Concertmaster of the Orchestra of the National University of Cordoba (Argentina), a member of the Brisa Quartet (Italy), and collaborates with the Orchestra Sinfonica delle Alpi, a project of the Euritmus Foundation.

MICHELA CALORO

Michela Caloro, born in Tricase (LE) in 2002, began studying piano at a very young age before devoting herself to the viola. After earning her Bachelor’s degree at the “Tito Schipa” Conservatory in Lecce, she completed her specialized Master’s degree in November 2024 with top marks at the “Luca Marenzio” Conservatory in Brescia (Darfo campus), under the guidance of Maestro Christian Serazzi.

During her training, she took part in numerous national competitions, winning first prize, including the “La Meridiana” Competition with a score of 100/100.

She has gained significant orchestral experience in important ensembles such as the Italian Youth Orchestra (OGI) and the Apulian Youth Symphony Orchestra (AYSO), and has also collaborated with the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra. She has worked under the direction of conductors such as Alexander Lonquich, Fabio Biondi, Michele Gamba, Thomas Dausgaard, Vahan Mardirossian, Vitali Alekseenok, and Afanasy Chupin. She has also attended masterclasses with distinguished principal players including Danilo Rossi, Roman Spitzer, Antonio Bossone, and Jorg Winkler.

She has attended viola masterclasses with Maestros Francesco Fiore, Antonello Farulli, Giovanni Pasini, Danusha Waskiewicz, and Garth Knox (contemporary repertoire). Alongside her orchestral activity, she is also dedicated to chamber music, attending masterclasses with Giacomo Agazzini, Francesco Mastromatteo, Julian Arp, and members of the Lyskamm Quartet.

In July 2025, she performed in the Classica d’Estate festival of the Camerata Musicale Salentina in a duo with pianist Alessandro Licchetta.

She is currently continuing her specialization by attending the Chamber Music Master’s program at the “Claudio Monteverdi” Conservatory in Bolzano and is a member of the Brisa Quartet, founded in 2026 under the guidance of Maestro Andrea Repetto.

MARTA CALÁS LENDOIRO

Marta Calás Lendoiro was born on 12 November 2003 in Valencia. She began studying the cello with Elena Solanes at the Conservatorio Profesional “José Iturbi” in Valencia and later continued at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Valencia, where she earned the Bachelor’s Degree in Higher Artistic Music Education with distinction in cello. At the same time, she also received guidance in Madrid from the renowned pedagogue Maria Casado. She is currently enrolled in the two-year advanced cello program with Roberto Trainini at the Conservatorio “Claudio Monteverdi” in Bolzano.

She regularly performs with ensembles such as the Joven Orquesta de la Generalitat Valenciana, the Orquesta Martín y Soler de Valencia, and the Banda Juvenil Bankia-Las Provincias. In 2025, she was selected to take part in Akademifestivalen in Stockholm, where she performed in the festival orchestra under the direction of Alexander Gordon. Deeply interested in chamber music, she is a member of the Cuarteto Aletheia, with which she won both first prize and the audience award at the 13th Alzira Chamber Music Competition, and she also performs with the Monteverdi Cello Octet, giving concerts for the Camerata Barese and the Camerata delle Arti di Matera. She has attended numerous courses, seminars, and masterclasses with teachers including Peter Bruns, Michal Dmochowski, Rafal Jezierski, Wolfgang Melhorn, José Enrique Bouché, and Josep Trescolí, among others.

Alongside her cello career, she also studies voice and obtained the Professional Music Studies Diploma in 2024 under Mª Ángeles Peters. From 2022 to 2024, she was a member of the “Ad Libitum” Chamber Choir, an award-winning ensemble that won the 19th National Grand Prize for Choral Singing.

Carlo Cavalletti collaborated steadily with RAI from 1985 to 1999, producing and hosting all the main Rai Radio 3 programs dedicated to classical music.

Editor-in-chief of the magazine “Musica e Dossier” from 1989 to 1993, since 1990 he has taught music history in conservatories; for the past twenty years he has taught at the Conservatory of Perugia.

He has written program notes and given lectures for many important musical institutions and is the author of a children’s book titled “Chopin and Romantic Music” and an essay on Rota’s musical theatre published by EDT. In March 2026, his book “Guido Cantelli. Perfection as Necessity,” published by Zecchini Editore, was released.

Artistic coordinator of the Accademia Filarmonica Romana from 2000 to 2005, and artistic director of the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte in Montepulciano from 2005 to 2008, in 2009 he founded an artists’ management agency named Cavartists.

Born in Rome, he holds a diploma in piano and studied music history under Fedele D’Amico and Pierluigi Petrobelli at “La Sapienza” University. Since 2006 he has lived in Montepulciano, Tuscany.

 

Considered as “one of Italy’s most vibrant and exciting groups dedicated to period-instrument performance” (Fanfare Magazine), “sensible historically and stylish artistically” (Gramophone), Concerto de’ Cavalieri appears under the direction of Marcello Di Lisa at some of the major international venues such as Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Musikverein in Vienna, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Staatsoper Berlin, Philharmonie Essen, Kölner Philharmonie, Herkulessaal München, De Bijloke, De Singel, Arsenal de Metz, Theater an der Wien, Rheingau Musik Festival, Bachfest Leipzig, Musikfest Bremen, Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele, Festival d’Ambronay, Grafenegg Festival, Festival de Radio France among others. 

The activity of the orchestra is enhanced by collaboration with internationally renowned soloists like Daniela Barcellona, Vivica Genaux, Ann Hallenberg, Sara Mingardo, Carolyn Sampson, Andreas Scholl, Maurice Steger.

Concerto de’ Cavalieri enjoys a busy recording activity for Sony. In particular, it has been engaged in The Baroque Project, a multi-year project with Sony Classical on Italian Opera in the 18th Century, aiming to rediscover rare operatic masterworks from the Italian Baroque, and including numerous world premiere recordings.

ENRICO CASAZZA

Enrico Casazza is regarded as one of Italy’s leading violinists, with an intense concert career both in Italy and abroad.

He studied with distinguished masters including Carlo Chiarappa, Pavel Vernikov, Dino Asciolla, Franco Gulli, and Giuliano Carmignola, and is currently concertmaster and soloist of Les Musiciens du Prince in Monaco, the orchestra Gli Originali of the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo, and La Magnifica Comunità.

His extensive recording activity has led him to produce more than 80 albums for major international labels, earning awards and recognition that have established him as one of the foremost interpreters in the field of Early Music.

A guest at festivals and theatres around the world, including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Chapelle Royale in Versailles, Real Academia de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Brahms Festival in Lübeck, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, Penderewski Hall in Lausanne, Philipszaal in The Hague, Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht, Opera House of Mexico City, and Hōji Hall in Tokyo, he has collaborated as a soloist with musicians such as Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky, Vivica Genaux, Simone Kermes, Plácido Domingo, Ann Hallenberg, Nathalie Stutzmann, Dino Asciolla, Fabio Biondi, Christopher Hogwood, Reinhard Goebel, and Luciano Berio. He currently teaches violin at the Donizetti Conservatory in Bergamo

ISABELLA LONGO

After specializing at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague in Baroque and Classical performance practice, and later at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole for the solo repertoire, Isabella Longo received awards in numerous national and international competitions.

In 1994, together with Enrico Casazza, she founded the ensemble La Magnifica Comunità, with which she has carried out an intense concert and recording activity.

She has collaborated with numerous orchestras, such as Würth Philharmoniker in Germany, Orchestra Gli Originali at the Teatro Donizetti in Bergamo, RAI Symphony Orchestra of Milan and Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, as well as with some of the most prominent period-instrument ensembles, including Europa Galante, Concerto Italiano, I Barocchisti and Il Complesso Barocco.

She has also pursued an extensive concert career as concertmaster and soloist in orchestral and chamber ensembles throughout Italy, Europe, Israel, and Japan, performing in major international festivals and theatres such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Santa Cecilia in Rome, Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Noga Theatre in Tel Aviv, Henry Crown Hall Theatre in Jerusalem, Chapelle Royale in Versailles, Penderewski Hall in Lausanne, Grote Zaal in Utrecht, and Hōji Hall in Tokyo.

ELISABETTA FERRI

Elisabetta Ferri graduated in Piano, Harpsichord, and Chamber Music from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome. She later specialized in harpsichord with Emilia Fadini at the Scuola Musicale di Milano and with Christophe Rousset at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and attended numerous masterclasses with Gordon Murray, Bob van Asperen, Pierre Hantaï, Rinaldo Alessandrini, and Enrico Baiano.

She has received recognition in several harpsichord competitions and, in 2011, won First Prize at the European Competition “P. Bernardi” in Bologna, and has given numerous harpsichord recitals, dedicating herself particularly to seventeenth-century Italian music and to major eighteenth-century composers such as J. S. Bach, D. Scarlatti, and G. F. Handel, often including contemporary music in her programmes.

As a fortepianist, she performed Mozart’s Concerto K. 415 at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto and gave a recital at the Museum of Musical Instruments in Rome on a copy of Bartolomeo Cristofori’s 1722 piano. She has also performed for Rai Radio Classica and Rai Radio 3. Before devoting herself primarily to the Baroque repertoire, she gave numerous chamber music concerts as a pianist.

GIULIA BOLCATO

Giulia Bolcato graduated with honors in singing at the “B. Marcello” Conservatory in Venice. Throughout her career, she has performed numerous leading roles. 

Among her recent high-profile performances, she performed as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem and as Gabriel in Haydn’s Die Schöpfung at the Salzburg Festival. She has also appeared in the roles of Anna in Nabucco and La voix du Ciel in Don Carlos by G. Verdi, both at the prestigious Grand Théâtre de Genève, and Marianne in Der Rosenkavalier by R. Strauss.

Active in contemporary music, she has successfully played leading roles in several operas, including Mowgli in “The Jungle Book” by G. Sollima, Alice in “Alice” by M. Franceschini, and Clorinda in “The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda” by G. Battistelli.

Invited to the Venice Biennale, she has performed in the production “The return by S. S. Andersen,”In my sky at twilight by R. Thomas and “Nothing by L. Mosca.

She performed as Lilli in the opera “Aquagranda,” conducted by M. Angius and directed by Damiano Michieletto, for the opening night of Teatro La Fenice in Venice. The opera received the special award “Franco Abbiati” in 2017.  Giulia has been awarded prestigious international prizes, such as the “Cesti Singing Competition” in Innsbruck in 2017 and the “Bergonzi” prize at the 53rd International Competition “Voci Verdiane Città di Busseto” in 2015.

Apart from her artistic pursuits, she obtained a degree in Languages, Cultures, and Societies of East Asia from the prestigious Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

As a child, she sang in the premiere of Henze’s opera Pollicino, staged at the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte in Montepulciano. She graduated from the Conservatory with top marks and honors under the guidance of Nicoletta Panni. She attended numerous master classes, including those with Alfredo Kraus, Renata Scotto, Julia Hamari, Regina Resnik, and one with Hervé Niquet on Baroque vocality. She began an artistic career that took her to all the major Italian and international theaters.

She has sung in many operas from the international repertoire, from well-known titles—Puccini’s La bohème (Mimì and Musetta), Madama Butterfly (Cio-Cio-San), Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Donna Anna)—to lesser-performed works such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan and Haydn’s L’isola disabitata, both at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Notable engagements include Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Zubin Mehta with staging by Jonathan Miller in Florence; Handel’s Amadigi with Rinaldo Alessandrini at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples; Parsifal and La Favorite at the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa; L’incoronazione di Poppea with Alessandrini in Salamanca and at the Festival de Beaune; L’elisir d’amore at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under Bruno Campanella; Orfeo at La Scala conducted by Alessandrini and staged by Bob Wilson; Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro Regio in Parma; further performances of L’elisir d’amore at the Teatro Comunale in Modena and at the Regio in Parma; and Strauss’s Elektra at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna and in Reggio Emilia. In the years just before the pandemic, she returned to the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte in a new production of Henze’s Pollicino (as the Mother) and in Salieri’s Il mondo alla rovescia in the title role (the Colonel).

Highly active in the concert field as well, she has sung under conductors such as Latham-Koenig, Albrecht, Bolton, De Bernart, Mazzola, Stenz, Tate, Jurowski, Cilluffo, Ciampa, Böer, and Piovano, and has collaborated with prestigious ensembles and orchestras including Concerto Italiano, Sentieri Selvaggi, Berlin’s Lautten Compagney, the Orchestra della Toscana (ORT), Parma’s Orchestra Toscanini, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Orchestra Sinfonica Abruzzese, and I Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan.

She has taught opera singing at conservatory level since 2013. She currently holds a tenured professorship in Voice at the C. Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano. In 2015 she founded the Festival di Pasqua in Montepulciano (www.festivaldipasqua.it), where she serves as artistic director. Since 2025 she has been the artistic director of Paesaggi Musicali Toscani in San Quirico d’Orcia (www.paesaggimusicalitoscani.it). Also since 2025 she has been the artistic director of Armonie nel Borgo in Serre di Rapolano. She collaborates on artistic direction for various musical projects with the Municipality of Pienza and with the S. Marco Papa Association of Abbadia San Salvatore.

The Siena Cathedral Choir “Guido Chigi Saracini” was founded in September 2016 thanks to the fruitful collaboration between the Accademia Musicale Chigiana and the Opera della Metropolitana di Siena. The artistic group, made up of a variable number of singers from all over Italy, combines liturgical service and the realization of concerts of high artistic value, fully embodying the double title of Cathedral Choir dedicated to Count Chigi Saracini, founder of the Siena Academy, which bears his name. The choir prepares and performs every year a vast repertoire that embraces the most beautiful and heartfelt pages of the sacred choral tradition, addressed in the context of the liturgical animation of the main solemn celebrations of the Siena Cathedral, alongside those belonging to the cultural and concert heritage of international scope with the aim of spreading and enhancing choral production in Italy and abroad. The choir has performed in countless prestigious concerts both a cappella and with orchestra, ranging from Palestrina’s Missa Brevis to Pärt’s Berliner Messe, from Ligeti’s Lux aeterna to Tallis’s Spem in alium, Stockhausen’s Stimmung and Xenakis’ Nuits. The vocal ensemble has performed many works in world premiere, including Tigran Mansurian’s Seven Prayers with the ORT – Orchestra della Toscana for the celebrations of the Millennium of San Miniato al Monte in 2018 and Giovanni Sollima’s Six Studies on Dante’s Inferno for countertenor for choir and orchestra, performed on 10 June as part of the Ravenna Festival 2021 under the direction of Kristjan Järvi. Starting from 2021, the Siena Cathedral Choir “Guido Chigi Saracini” has been invited by the Sagra Musicale Umbra of Perugia as a choir in residence for the 5th edition of the International Composition Competition for a work of sacred music, the “Francesco Siciliani” Award.

Since 2021, the choir has collaborated with Ravenna Festival to organize important concerts, such as in 2024, Le Vie dell’Amicizia, conducted by Riccardo Muti, Dido e Enea nel giorno di Santa Cecilia, conducted by Ottavio Dantone.

The Siena Cathedral Choir “Guido Chigi Saracini” is conducted by Lorenzo Donati, a name of international excellence who, among other things, was a student in the composition courses of the Accademia Chigiana.

Journalist and television writer. A correspondent for the weekly program TV7, editor in charge of the TG1 weekly program, head of programming at Rai Tre, deputy director of Rai Uno, and co-director of Rai Due, he worked across all three of Rai’s main channels, developing programs and producing investigative reports, features, and documentaries.

Among his works are an investigation into child labor (Giovani, 1966); The Factory Next Door, on internal migration (Speciale TG, 1967); The Bishop’s Weapons, an encounter with Dom Helder Camara in Recife (TV7, 1969); a three-part investigation into the school system (Speciale TG, 1975, Saint-Vincent Journalism Award); From the River to the Sea, a journey along the Via Emilia (Rai Uno, 1985); War in Val d’Orcia, based on the diary of Iris Origo (Rai Uno, 1995); Denied Art, a three-part series on the mismanagement of cultural heritage (Rai Uno, 1996, Prix du meilleur reportage at the Festival International du Film sur l’Art, Montreal, 1997); Not Only Assisi, on the damage caused by the earthquake in Umbria and the Marche to the historical and artistic heritage (Rai Due, 1997); Stolen Landscapes, a six-part investigation (Rai Tre, 1999); Pollini and His Music, 2002 (with Sandro Cappelletto, Rai Tre); Quartetto Italiano, 2007 (Rai 5).

He produced several documentaries on Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, including The Rediscovered Michelangelo, the first television work on the restoration (Speciale TG1, 1984), and In This Toil (Rai 5, 2013).

He co-authored The Nuclear Dilemma with Carlo Rubbia (Sperling & Kupfer, 1986), and The Air of Freedom. Piero Calamandrei’s Italy with Tomaso Montanari (Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2019).

He studied at the Liceo Musicale in Arezzo and at the Luigi Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, graduating in violin and composition. He then attended various advanced courses to get to the three-year course in choral conducting organized by the “Guido d’Arezzo” Foundation in Arezzo and subsequently to the Master of Advanced Studies of the same Guido d’Arezzo Foundation. He studied film composition with Ennio Morricone and various composition seminars with Luciano Berio, Azio Corghi and Salvatore Sciarrino at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena.

In the years 1995-2007 he received various prizes in composition competitions for choral music, including a first prize at the XXVI International Composition Competition “Guido di Arezzo” in Arezzo (1999) and at the International Competition “Carlo Gesualdo e l’Irpinia” in Avellino (2003).

He is the founder and permanent director of the Vox Cordis Vocal Ensemble, with which he participates in various competitions, winning in particular the first prize at the Vittorio Veneto National Choral Competition in 2003, the 2nd prize and the audience prize – equal voices category at the “Florilège Vocal” International Competition in Tours in 2013, the 1st prize at the Cantonigròs International Competition and the 2nd and 3rd prize at the Montreux International Choral Festival (2010 and 2013).

Between 1996 and 2006 he founded and directed the Hesperimenta Vocal Ensemble, a solo quartet with which he recorded discs of ancient music and won the competitions of Vittorio Veneto, Arezzo, Zagarolo, Marano Vicentino and was awarded at the competitions of Gorizia and Lugano. Between 2011 and 2014, together with Dario Tabbia, he directed the Coro Giovanile Italiano, with which he won first prize at the Florilège Vocal de Tours competition in 2014.

He collaborates with numerous national and international institutions such as the Associazione dei Cori delle Toscana, the Centro Studi Musicali F. Busoni in Empoli, FENIARCO, Fondazione Guido d’Arezzo. He holds courses on choral music and composition in Italy and abroad (China, France, Georgia, Japan, Indonesia, Russia,) and for important conducting schools (Accademia Corale Italiana, Fondazione Guido d’Arezzo). Since 2008, he has been the artistic director of the Incontro Internazionale Polifonico Città di Fano festival.

He currently teaches choral conducting at the B. Marcello Conservatory of Venice. He directs the UT Insieme vocale-consonante formation with which he won the European Grand Prix for choral singing in 2016.

Mauro Cristelli earned, with highest marks, honors, and special commendation, the second-level academic diploma in Renaissance and Baroque singing under the esteemed guidance of the soprano Lia Serafini at the “F. A. Bonporti” Conservatory in Trento; he also holds degrees in Pedagogy and in Music Education.

He performs as a tenor soloist at major international festivals such as: Festival Internacional de Música y Danza in Granada, Festival Renaixement in Valencia, Early Music in Morella, Festival Mozart in Rovereto, Trento Musica Antica, Sagra Musicale Malatestiana in Rimini, Lana Antiqua, Smarano Academy Music Festival, Festival dei Saraceni in Pamparato, Notti Sacre Festival in Bari, and Festival Musiques Sacrées du Monde.

Specialized in the Baroque repertoire, he has performed Orpheus in “L’Orfeo” by Claudio Monteverdi, Iro and Eurymachus in “Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria” by Claudio Monteverdi, Aeneas in “Dido & Aeneas” by Henry Purcell, Gualtiero in “Griselda” by Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, and Oronte in “Alcina” by George Frideric Handel, in addition to numerous other roles in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century operas.

He debuted the role of Delma (a tenor en travesti) in the first modern performance of Sartorio’s opera “Adelaide” at the Teatro Goldoni in Venice under the baton of maestro Diego Fasolis.

His repertoire also includes sacred works such as the Selva morale e spirituale and the Vespers of the Blessed Virgin by Claudio Monteverdi; Jephte and Jonas by Giacomo Carissimi; Il teatro armonico spirituale by Giovanni Anerio; several cantatas and oratorios by J. S. Bach; and Messiah by George Frideric Handel.

He has furthered his study of Gregorian chant with maestros Johannes Göschl, Alessio Randon, and Giovanni Corti.

Since 2012 he has been the founder and artistic director of the “Vox Cordis” Association for Musical and Cultural Training, and director of the eponymous early music ensemble.

In 2016 he successfully earned a diploma in choral conducting at the “Piergiorgio Righele” Choral Conducting Academy.

In 2017 he specialized in Renaissance performance practice at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, and in the same year he ranked among the top finalists at the national competition for choral conductors “Le mani in suono” in Arezzo.

Ensemble Etruria Barocca has, since 2012, been engaged in the research, transcription, and performance on original instruments of unpublished and lesser-known works from the Tuscan and European musical repertoire, ranging from medieval to contemporary music. The ensemble is made up of young professionals specialized in historically informed performance practice who have appeared at prestigious festivals in Europe, Asia, and the United States. In 2023, under the direction of Dimitri Betti, it performed C. Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo for the 600th anniversary of the birth of Angelo Poliziano in collaboration with the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte of Montepulciano; and in 2022, in collaboration with I Musici del Gran Principe, it prepared the transcription of J. Melani’s Ercole in Tebe, performed at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence nearly four centuries after its premiere. The ensemble has appeared at the Trame Sonore Festival in Mantua, the Florence Dance Festival, the Da Vinci Baroque Festival with countertenor Filippo Mineccia, the InCanto Armonico Festival in Sarzana (SP), at the ISSM “R. Franci” in Siena, the Amici della Musica season in Viareggio–Versilia, the concert series of the Sant’Anna School in Pisa, and the Florentine series “In Caelestes Thesauros.” A dedicatee of original compositions, the group was a featured protagonist of Florence’s InNova Forma Festival and curated the world premiere of L. Siegel’s opera Si Dice in Italia.

In 2024 it curated the music for the 350th anniversary of the death of Giorgio Vasari in collaboration with the Guido d’Arezzo Foundation. In 2020 and 2021, Bongiovanni released C. Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea and L’Orfeo, recorded in collaboration with Ensemble San Felice and La Pifarescha.

Lorenzo del Monaco | sax soprano
Francesco del Vecchio | sax contralto
Samuele Cicchitti  | sax tenore
Angelo Perrucci  |  sax baritono

The Fantasy Saxophone Quartet is an ensemble of four professional saxophonists, united by a passion for chamber music and a desire to explore the instrument’s full expressive potential. Their mission is to give voice to an instrument that continues to surprise with its versatility and tonal richness, through programs that blend tradition and innovation. The quartet’s repertoire is eclectic and refined: from classical music to jazz crossovers, from film scores to original compositions. Many of the arrangements and transcriptions are crafted directly by the members of the ensemble, ensuring an authentic, tailor-made musical result designed to highlight each saxophonist’s individual qualities and artistic sensitivity.

Every concert is conceived as an immersive sound experience, where elegance, energy, and originality intertwine to create unique atmospheres. The group is currently producing an album featuring new arrangements, the result of intensive research and experimentation aimed at offering a fresh perspective on the saxophone quartet repertoire. Enriching the recording project is a collaboration with Maestro Francesco Musante, who created the cover art, adding a visual and poetic dimension to the quartet’s musical journey.

The members of the Fantasy Saxophone Quartet boast collaborations with leading symphony orchestras, festivals, conservatories, and prestigious cultural institutions—experiences that have broadened their profile and fueled a dynamic artistic vision, open to dialogue and the blending of genres. The result is an ensemble that does not merely perform music but reinvents it, transforming every performance into a musical journey capable of moving and surprising audiences.

Ensemble for trumpets, reciting voice, and Baroque timpani and percussion

The ensemble I Fiati Gloriosi, made up of Baroque trumpets, timpani, and historical percussion, was born from the desire of musicians who have broadened their musical path by dedicating themselves to historical performance practice on the natural trumpet and historical percussion, in order to recreate, in modern times, the characteristic sounds of this specific instrumental group. Marco Muzzati, a versatile actor, multi-instrumentalist, and highly experienced percussionist specializing in medieval music repertoire, serves as the ensemble’s reciting voice in theatrical contexts.

The ensemble’s name recalls the trumpeters of the Elders of the Bolognese Signoria who, in many respects, were privileged members of the Palatine Family as early as the 1400s. The city government proudly showcased its musicians, who brought prestige and added splendor to the civil and religious parades and processions attended by the city’s magistrates.

The concert will present a selection of pieces exemplifying the repertoire for ensembles of natural trumpets and timpani, a typical formation of the 16th and 17th centuries found at the most prestigious European courts, municipalities, and musical chapels. The most important and celebratory moments of the social and religious life of the time were in fact underscored by the sound of these instruments, which served as amplifiers of civil and religious power.

The ensemble, which uses copies of period trumpets to fully recreate the sonorities and performance practices typical of the Baroque era, is a frequent guest at international series and festivals. The members of the ensemble are united by a passion for early music and by hands-on experience gained through collaboration with Italian and international groups specializing in this specific repertoire, including Al Ayre Español (Eduardo López Banzo, Juanjo Mena), Concerto Italiano (Rinaldo Alessandrini), Accademia Bizantina (Ottavio Dantone), Ensemble Zefiro (Alfredo Bernardini), I Barocchisti di Lugano (Diego Fasolis), Europa Galante (Fabio Biondi), La Venexiana (Claudio Cavina), Orchestra Barocca Veneta (Andrea Marcon), Modo Antiquo (Federico Maria Sardelli), Ensemble Pian e Forte (Gabriele Cassone, Francesco Fanna, Gianluca Capuano), etc.

Born in 1961, he studied under Pier Narciso Masi, Carlo Prosperi, Alessandro Pinzauti, and Albino Varotti, graduating from the “Luigi Cherubini” Conservatory in Florence in Piano, Choral Music and Choral Conducting, Composition, and Orchestral Conducting, and from the “San Pietro a Majella” Conservatory in Naples in Wind Band Orchestration. He refined his studies in piano and chamber music with Pier Narciso Masi, and in orchestral conducting with Giorgio Bernasconi (contemporary repertoire), Aldo Ceccato, and Gian Luigi Gelmetti; with the latter he was a student both at the advanced courses of the “I Pomeriggi Musicali” Orchestra in Milan and at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.

He began his performing career as a pianist, with a focus on chamber music, and later as a choral and orchestral conductor. Since 1989 he has collaborated with Maestro Hans Werner Henze on the programming and production of the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte in Montepulciano. As a chorus master he has worked with conductors Markus Stenz, Alicja Mounck, Luca Pfaff, Massimo Freccia, Massimo De Bernardt, Aldo Sisillo, and Enrique Mazzola. As an orchestral conductor he has collaborated with the “I Pomeriggi Musicali” Orchestra of Milan, the Orchestra Regionale Toscana of Florence, the “Arturo Toscanini” Orchestra of Parma, the “Città d’Arezzo” Orchestra, the Siena Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Northern College of Music Orchestra in Manchester, and the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. He was invited by the Amici della Lirica of Tokyo to conduct at the Suginami Theatre in Tokyo Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica (1999 opera season) and Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (2004 season). He has worked with stage directors Mauro Bolognini, Angelo Branduardi, Aldo Tarabella, Aurelia Eggers, Walter Pagliaro, Gianni Carluccio, Michele Mirabella, and Brian Michaels. He conducted the world premieres of the following works: Gli spirit dell’aria by Matteo D’Amico, Clown by Aldo Tarabella, Proserpina by Glanert–Paisiello, Il Gallo e la Croce by Thomas Fortman, Fabula by Alessandro Sbordoni, La fata fatata by Elizabeth Mara Bossero, Origini by Nicola Campogrande, and Enigma by Detlev Glanert.

On Hans Werner Henze’s recommendation, from 1989 to 2014 he served as director of the Istituto di Musica di Montepulciano, where he founded the Orchestra da Camera Poliziana, giving concerts together with the Corale Poliziana in Italy, France, and Germany.

He was music director of the Bruscello Poliziano from 2003 to 2010.

In 2017 his Carpe Diem – Hymn of the Lyceums won the “Abbado Award” established by the Ministry of Education, University and Research.

He is Professor of Score Reading at the “Luigi Cherubini” Conservatory of Music in Florence.

He holds degrees in Modern Literature with a historical–artistic focus, in Classics, and in Classical Philology from the University of Siena.

The Goldberg Quartet’s 2025/2026 season opens with two decisive milestones: the release of their first album, produced and supported by the Filodinote label, dedicated to Mozart’s Quartet KV421 No. 15 and Ravel’s Quartet; and their debut in the main season of the Quartetto di Milano alongside the Quartetto di Cremona, to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

The Goldberg Quartet was founded in 2021 at the Stauffer Academy in Cremona, under the guidance of the renowned Cremona Quartet, and immediately established itself as one of the most dynamic and promising ensembles on the contemporary chamber music scene.

It is composed of violinist Jingzhi Zhang, winner of the second prize and audience prize at the 2023 Paganini Competition in Genoa, violinist Giacomo Lucato, violist Matilde Simionato, and cellist Martino Simionato.

Since the beginning of its artistic journey, the ensemble has enjoyed immediate acclaim from critics and audiences alike, winning prestigious awards such as First Prize at the Filippo Nicosia Chamber Music Award 2023, the Abbiati “Piero Farulli” Prize for best young ensemble, and the special prize “Una Vita nella Musica – Giovani” awarded by the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. At the same time, the quartet was chosen as Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels, in the class of Corinna Belcea and Miguel da Silva, and at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, under the guidance of Günter Pichler.

The Quartet’s international career includes appearances at major festivals such as: Lofoten Festival in Norway, Vibre! Festival in Bordeaux, Crans-Montana Classics in Switzerland, Schleswig-Holstein Festival and Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland in Germany, Zeist Music Days in the Netherlands, Musique à Flaine and La Nuit du Quatuor in France, Verão Clássico in Lisbon, and Allegra Festival in Sofia. Thanks to its collaboration with Italian Cultural Institutes, embassies, and consulates, the ensemble has also performed in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Finland, completing two tours in Japan and China.

The Goldberg Quartet is a regular guest on Rai Radio 3, where it has been featured several times on programs such as La Stanza della Musica, Piazza Verdi, and I Concerti del Quirinale. It is part of the MERITA platform and the Le Dimore del Quartetto network, with which it has carried out projects throughout Europe, receiving the title of Ensemble of the Year in 2022.

The name pays homage to J.S. Bach’s famous Goldberg Variations, a symbol of an aesthetic based on musical research, expressive clarity and intense, direct communication.

Laura Kahmzatova is a Russian soprano currently residing in Bolzano. She is presently continuing her advanced training between Italy and Austria, developing an artistic career focused on operatic and concert repertoire. Her distinctive and rare trait is having a versatile vocal range that allows her to sing as a soprano and as a dark-hued mezzo-soprano, tackling repertoire that spans from Baroque to contemporary music. Laura is also a pianist, a skill that contributes to her being a solid, well-rounded musician.

In 2025 she was involved in the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Among her most recent appearances are concerts and opera productions at the Teatro La Nuova Fenice in Osimo, the Teatro delle Api in Porto Sant’Elpidio, the Teatro Spontini in Maiolati Spontini, the Teatro Valle in Chiaravalle, and the Teatro La Rondinella in Montefano, within series devoted to bel canto and the Italian operatic tradition. In 2024 she took part in the National Festival “Il Belcanto ritrovato” with the project Il Buffo all’Opera, performing in Pesaro, Urbino, and Cagli. Other engagements include concerts such as Pagine d’opera, Serata d’opera, Dal romanzo all’opera, and L’Opera Italiana nel Mondo. Previously, in 2021, she performed at the Zaryadye Hall in Moscow in a project dedicated to Gavrilin’s opera Perezvony. During her studies she obtained several awards in international singing competitions, including First Prize at the Bern Vocal Competition (Switzerland) in 2022, the Grand Prix at the Shepsy International Competition (Russia) in the same year, and First Prize at the Saint Petersburg Vocal Competition in 2021. She was also awarded the “Paoli” Scholarship for the 2023/2024 academic year and the “Costantini” Scholarship for 2024/2025 at the Accademia d’Arte Lirica di Osimo.

Among her most recent engagements in 2025:

Foleville and also Modestina in Il viaggio a Reims by G. Rossini, Teatro Rossini, Pesaro.

Shayara in Una missione per due by L. Sidoti.

Soprano soloist in the Requiem in D minor, K. 626 by W. A. Mozart in Macerata – Teatro Lauro Rossi; Pesaro – Teatro Rossini; Fermo – Cathedral; Easter Festival in Montepulciano – Temple of San Biagio; Jesi – Teatro Pergolesi.

Suor Angelica by G. Puccini, Teatro La Nuova Fenice, Osimo (AN).

Nella in Gianni Schicchi by G. Puccini, Teatro La Nuova Fenice, Osimo (AN).

In 2024: Violetta in La traviata by G. Verdi at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

In 2023: Soprano soloist in the Requiem in D minor, K. 626 by W. A. Mozart at the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory; Moscow, Yaroslavl, Russia.

Founded in 2021, the Trio Kobalt is one of the most promising Italian chamber music ensembles of its generation. Born from the encounter of Irenè Fiorito (violin), Lorenzo Guida (cello), and Riccardo Ronda (piano), the Trio has earned a remarkable series of national and international accolades, including the European Chamber Music Competition “Gasparo da Salò” (2023), the Premio Giubergia (2024), AMUR for Young Talents (2024), the Filippo Nicosia Chamber Music Award (2024), and the 45th Italian Music Critics’ Award “Franco Abbiati” (Premio “Piero Farulli” 2026). Of particular distinction is the invitation extended to the Trio — the first Italian ensemble — to serve as Ensemble in Residence (2024) at the prestigious Festival International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron (France). 

The Trio maintains an active and wide-ranging concert schedule at leading musical institutions in Italy and abroad: the Parc du Château de Florans (La Roque d’Anthéron), the Società del Quartetto di Milano, the Unione Musicale di Torino, the Società del Quartetto di Vicenza, the Salle Cortot in Paris, the Musica Insieme Festival in Bologna, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, the Filarmonica di Trento, the Società dei Concerti di Trieste, and the Associazione Scarlatti in Naples — all to unanimous critical acclaim. 

In 2025, the Trio began a significant collaboration with the renowned “Premio Paganini” violin competition in Genoa, accompanying the semi-finalists in the chamber music round alongside violist Danusha Waskiewicz. 

Trained under the guidance of Pavel Berman at the CSI in Lugano — where the three musicians first studied and met — the Trio Kobalt continued its artistic development with the Trio di Parma at the Accademia Perosi in Biella, graduating with distinction. The Trio currently pursues advanced studies at the École Normale de Musique de Paris (Elite Program) with the Trio Wanderer, and at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, under the direction of Ivan Rabaglia. 

In 2025, the Trio recorded the Elegiac Trios by Sergei Rachmaninoff for the DaVinci Classics label. The Trio Kobalt is a member of the Dimore del Quartetto network. 

Irenè Fiorito plays a violin by Giuseppe Ceruti (1848), kindly loaned by the Fondazione ProCanale. 

Lorenzo Guida plays a cello of the English school, attributed to George Wulme- Hudson (late 19th century). 

 

David Krakauer is considered one of the greatest clarinetists of his generation and one of the most influential figures on today’s musical scene. Internationally acclaimed both as an innovator of modern klezmer music and as an authoritative interpreter of the classical repertoire, he stands out for a unique artistic language that combines tradition, experimentation, and dialogue among different genres.

Since the 1990s he has been a leading figure in the renewal of klezmer music: first as a member of the historic ensemble The Klezmatics, then as a central figure in the Radical Jewish Culture movement promoted by John Zorn, and subsequently as a composer, soloist, and leader of numerous original projects. At the helm of his ensemble Ancestral Groove and the collective Abraham Inc.—founded together with funk legend Fred Wesley and musician-producer Socalled—he has developed a personal synthesis of klezmer, jazz, funk, electronic music, and improvisation.

His discography includes some of the most significant clarinet recordings of recent decades. Among them are Osvaldo Golijov’s The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind with the Kronos Quartet, awarded the prestigious Diapason d’Or; The Twelve Tribes, named Jazz Album of the Year by the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik; Paul Moravec’s Tempest Fantasy, winner of the Pulitzer Prize; as well as numerous recordings with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Dawn Upshaw, Osvaldo Golijov, and The Klezmatics. He has also received a Grammy nomination as a soloist with the chamber orchestra A Far Cry.

In recent years he has expanded his activity to film composition, co-authoring with Kathleen Tagg the score for Eric Steel’s film Minyan, presented at the Berlinale and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest Los Angeles, as well as the music for Jeremy Kagan’s animated short Haftorahs.

Winner of the Concert Artists Guild Award and the Naumburg Chamber Music Award with the Aspen Wind Quintet, he has performed for many seasons at the prestigious Marlboro Music Festival and on Music from Marlboro tours. His recordings and projects have received major international recognition and critical acclaim, highlighting his extraordinary ability to move naturally across the boundaries between art music, jazz, and folk traditions.

Alongside his concert activity, he is deeply committed to teaching. He has taught clarinet and chamber music at the Manhattan School of Music, the Mannes College of Music (The New School), the Bard College Conservatory of Music, and New York University. He has also given masterclasses and workshops around the world, working with institutions such as Carnegie Hall, UCLA, and the Thelonious Monk Institute. Since 2016 he has taught in the summer courses of the Accademia Chigiana.

KATHLEEN TAGG

Based in New York since 2001, Kathleen Tagg is a South African pianist, composer, and producer internationally recognized for her original artistic language, which integrates acoustic piano, electronics, loops, sampling, and extended techniques. Her work spans classical music, jazz, world music, musical theater, multimedia arts, and film composition, resulting in pieces marked by a strong narrative dimension and a constant exploration of sound and identity.

She has performed in major international venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, Symphony Space, the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, and the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, while maintaining an intense compositional activity. Her works have been commissioned by institutions including the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and the Marine Band of the Royal Netherlands Navy, while her arrangements have been performed by the New Century Chamber Orchestra and presented at the Vienna Jewish Culture Festival.

Since 2012 she has collaborated steadily with clarinetist David Krakauer on projects that cross the boundaries between classical music, klezmer, jazz, and electronics. Together they have created multimedia shows, concert works, and film scores, including that of Eric Steel’s film Minyan, presented at the Berlinale and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest Los Angeles. Among their most recent works are also Keepers of the Flame and numerous large-scale symphonic and concert pieces.

As co–artistic director of Table Pounding Music with Krakauer, Tagg has produced and released numerous albums, including Breath & Hammer and Where Worlds Collide. Her recordings have been released by labels such as Naxos, Ossia Records, Table Pounding Records, and Gallo Africa.

In parallel with her artistic activity, she is engaged in the design and production of cultural and social initiatives. She graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, where she received the Helen Cohn Award for the best doctoral degree, and completed her studies at the Mannes College of Music and the University of Cape Town. Today she is regarded as one of the most original figures on the contemporary interdisciplinary music scene.

Born in 2007, he began studying the piccolo with his father at about 3 years old and already at 6 years old he participated in the first national and international competitions that he won without interruption. In 2017 he won the First Prize at the Crescendo International Competition Italy which led him to perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York at just 10 years old, and in 2018 the First Prize overall in the wind category of the Crescendo Competition city of Florence and the Crescendo Prize for Chamber Music in Duo with his brother Massimiliano on trombone, performing at the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He participated as a soloist at the Pomir Festival in St. Petersburg (Russia) in 2019, at the Falaut Festival 2019, 2020 and 2024. 

At just 13 years old, he was admitted to the three-year Flute course at the “Santa Cecilia” Conservatory in Rome, where he studied with the masters F. Albanese, V. Desideri and the last 2 years under the guidance of M° P. Tabachin with whom he obtained the first level diploma in July 2025. Since 2016, he has been the piccolo soloist and first flute in the Juniorchestra Young of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. With the same company, he was conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano for the 2022 Christmas Concert broadcast by Rai 5, by Nicola Piovani for the soundtrack of the film “Il Treno dei Bambini” at the Rome Film Festival, and by Simone Genuini, permanent director, with whom he performed as a soloist the show “Peter and the Wolf” by Prokofiev with the narration of Stefano Fresi, Alessandro Preziosi and Riccardo Rossi. In 2022 he won first prize at several international competitions such as Vienna, Birmingham, London and Berlin. He played at some Italian theaters with the Juniorchestra such as the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and the Teatro Comunale in Ferrara. At 16 he was among the three finalists of the National Arts Award of the Italian Conservatories. He participated in the Masterclasses of the Festival Musicalp in Tignes (France) with Maestro Andrea Oliva and at the Falaut Campus 2024, where he was invited as a Young Promise to open the concert dedicated to the piccolo held by N. Mazzanti and J.L. Beaumadier, recording for the Festival CD. In 2024 he was admitted to the class of the Corso di Alto Perfezionamento of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Maestro Andrea Oliva. In the same year he was invited as an additional member of the Italian Army Band and was selected as a piccolo player for the project “Professione Orchestra RAI” 2025 of the Rai National Symphony Orchestra in Turin with Prof. F. Andriani, where for the occasion he was conducted by maestros A. Orozco-Estrada, M. Gardolinska and G. Fratta. In March and April 2025 he was invited to the Galway Flute Academy in Lucerne studying with Sir James Galway and Jeanne Galway. 

FILIPPO MARTELLI
Filippo Martelli was born in Florence on December 29, 1963. Pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor, he began his professional career in 1990 as a keyboardist for the popular singer-songwriter R. Riefoli, known as RAF, during the tour “Sogni è tutto quello che c’è”.

In 1991, he participated in the tour of Paolo Vallesi, then winner of Sanremo Giovani, “La forza della vita”.

In 1997, as a keyboardist, pianist, and programmer, he accompanied Laura Pausini on her world tour, performing in all the capitals of Europe and the major cities of Latin America, in a tour lasting six months.

During breaks from his intense concert activity, he collaborated with Maestro Riccardo Galardini—who has often been recognized as a conductor at the Sanremo festival—in creating the soundtracks for feature films by actor-director Francesco Nuti:

“Donne con le gonne”; Occhio Pinocchio”; “Il signor quindici palle”; “Io amo Andrea”

In 2000, he founded the “Oversea Orchestra,” a string orchestra of which he is also conductor and promoter. With this ensemble, and as conductor and arranger of the orchestral parts, he participated in recording projects for various artists in the national pop scene, including Anna Oxa, Paolo Vallesi, and Raf. For Raf, among other things, he arranged the live orchestrations for the “Iperbole” tour and the orchestral scores for the CDs “OUCH” and the latest CD “PASSEGGERI DISTRATTI”.

He has participated, as pianist and head of arrangements, in three tours of Marco Masini and three recording productions as conductor and arranger for the orchestral parts together with his orchestra (Oversea Orchestra), and conducted at Sanremo for the song “Nel mondo dei sogni” in 2005 and “L’Italia” in 2009.

For six years, he attended orchestral conducting courses in Florence held by Maestro Piero Bellugi and Carlo Moreno Volpini. He has already conducted Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, the overture from “The Barber of Seville,” and Beethoven’s “Coriolan Overture” at the Church of S. Stefano al Ponte Vecchio.

ULTRASISTERS

Francesca, Serena, and Viviana Balestracci are three sisters from Florence who have sung together, harmonizing their voices since childhood. Mainly focused on interpreting the Beatles’ repertoire, they have performed several shows with various musicians, as well as a video titled “AlfaBeatles.” In general, the common thread of their performances is vocal harmonization, offering songs by Queen, Eagles, Beach Boys, Mamas & Papas, Bangles, Culture Club, and many others.

In collaboration with Quartetto Oversea and Maestro Filippo Martelli, they created the show “Chiedi chi erano i Beatles” (Ask Who the Beatles Were), designed to tell the story of the Fab Four with anecdotes, songs, and curiosities.

The Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina was formed in 1981 by will of Maestro Giuseppe Lanzetta, its current permanent director, with the aim of spreading knowledge of the symphonic and chamber repertoire. In a few years, the Orchestra has attracted the attention of national and international critics thanks to numerous concerts held both in Italy, for the most important musical institutions, and abroad in various tours: United States, Mexico (III Gran Festival of Mexico City 1991, VI International Music Festival of Morelia 1994), Europe (42nd International Festival of Santander, IV International Festival of Gandia Spain, Tour 1993 – Gran Teatro M. De Falla of Cadiz, Auditorium M. De Falla of Granada, Gran Teatro of Huelva, Sala Argenta of Santander, Salón de Actos of Avilés, Sala de Concertos Caixavigo of Vigo, Teatro Principal of Orense – Spain, Tour 1994), (Malaga – Tarragona – Zaragoza – Santander – Spain, Tour 1997), Malta 1996 – Brazil 1997 – Portugal 1998 – Brazil 1998 – Slovenia 1999 and 2004 – Poland 2002 – Germany 2003 – Croatia 2006 – Spain 2011 (Tarragona, Reus, Murcia, Valencia – Palau da musica). 

It has performed over 1850 concerts, many of which for RAI and for the most important international networks, always obtaining unanimous acclaim from the public and critics who have defined it as “one of the best European Chamber Orchestras”. It has recorded various compact discs of rare music and baroque music under the direction of Maestro G. Lanzetta, also recording for Amiata Records. It has hosted internationally renowned ensembles and soloists such as: Mario Brunello, Augusto Vismara and Christiane Edinger, Jorge Demus, Eduard Brunner, David Garrett, Aldo Ciccolini, Alessandro Carbonare, Alessio Allegrini, Francesco Bossone, Rolando Panerai, Andreas Blau, Bruno Canino, Daniele Damiano, Cristiano Rossi, Vincenzo Mariozzi, Domenico Pierini, Piero Bellugi, Alessandro Specchi, Umberto Clerici, Gary Karr, Andrea Nannoni, Filippo Maria Bressan, Ilya Grubert, L’Athestis Chorus, Il Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Il Coro Harmonia Cantata, the Berliner Philarmoniker Chamber Orchestra, Cameristi del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Ensemble dell’Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and the soloists of La Scala in Milan. It has also invited conductors from all over the world, chamber ensembles and chamber orchestras. It received the Beato Angelico Award in 2005 and the Florence Award in 2006 for its work in Florence and around the world in its 30 years of activity. Thanks to its activity, it has also made prestigious churches and museums such as the Church of Orsammichele, the National Museum of Bargello, the Courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi, the Badia Fiorentina, S. Felice in Piazza, S. Jacopo Soprarno, S. Michele e Gaetano, and the Arium of Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio open to music. 

Founded in Florence in 1980 by initiative of the Tuscany Region, the Province, and the Municipality of Florence, it is considered one of the best orchestras in Italy.
In 1983, under the artistic direction of Luciano Berio, it was officially recognized as an Orchestral Concert Institution (Istituzione Concertistica Orchestrale) by the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment. The average roster consists of 44 musicians, who also perform in flexible chamber music ensembles. The Orchestra is based in Florence at the historic Teatro Verdi, where it presents its concert season, which is then distributed throughout Tuscany. Today, it is led by artistic director Daniele Spini and principal conductor Diego Ceretta.

The Orchestra performs regularly across Italy and has been a frequent guest at the Lingotto in Turin, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. It also performs in the most important European and overseas concert halls, from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Teatro Coliseo in Buenos Aires, as well as in Hong Kong and Japan. Its artistic history is marked by collaborations with illustrious musicians such as Salvatore Accardo, Martha Argerich, Rudolf Barshai, Yuri Bashmet, Franco Battiato, Stefano Bollani, Frans Brüggen, James Conlon, Myung-Whun Chung, Tan Dun, Richard Galliano, Gianandrea Gavazzeni, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Daniel Harding, Eliahu Inbal, Yo-Yo Ma, Butch Morris, Emmanuel Pahud, Daniele Rustioni (who served as both musical and artistic director), Ryūichi Sakamoto, and Uto Ughi.

The ORT stands out for the excellence of its musicians and is a versatile interpreter of a wide repertoire, ranging from Baroque to Classicism, Romanticism to the historical 20th century. It places a special emphasis on contemporary music, which has led it to participate in major events such as the Venice Biennale Musica and the Strasbourg Music Festival. The ORT created and produced the “Play It!” Festival, dedicated to Italian music of our time, which received the 2014 “Franco Abbiati” Award from Italian music critics as the best initiative.
Its concerts are broadcast by Rai Radio Tre and Rete Toscana Classica. The orchestra records for Emi, Ricordi, Agorà, VDM Records, Sony Classical, Warner Music Italia, NovAntiqua Records, and Dynamic.

Born in Milan on April 18, 1963. After graduating from high school in Lugano, he attended the Faculty of Law at the University of Milan, forgoing his degree to devote himself entirely to his career as a composer, arranger, and record producer.

From his early days to the present, he has worked as a producer, composer, and arranger in nearly every musical genre, establishing himself as one of the most versatile studio musicians in Italy. Massimiliano Pani has arranged and produced for pop artists such as Mina, Adriano Celentano, Fabrizio De Andrè, Ivano Fossati, Audio 2, and Monica Naranjo. He has collaborated with, among others, Renato Zero, Piero Pelù, Fausto Leali, Anna Oxa, Matia Bazar, and many others, as well as with jazz musicians such as Toots Thielemans, Franco Ambrosetti, Brian Auger, Danilo Rea, Massimo Moriconi, Gianni Ferrio, and many others, with whom Pani has actively collaborated.

A composer and songwriter, Pani has achieved success in Italy, Spain, and France. He produced and arranged the first two LPs for “Audio 2,” which won the 1995 Festivalbar Award. He arranged and produced the entire album “Mina Celentano,” which was named the best-selling album of all time in Italy in 1999. He has arranged and produced over 60 albums for various Italian and international artists, but his collaboration on Mina’s albums remains his most creative and successful. In 2016, he produced and arranged the album “Le migliori” by Mina and Celentano, which won the title of best-selling CD of the year. In 2019, he arranged and produced the album Mina Fossati, which went platinum.

As a record producer, he has been involved for over 25 years in the management, marketing, distribution, and communications of Mina’s albums, released under the PDU Music&Production SA label, a record and publishing label founded in 1967 and which he has directed since the 1990s as President.

As a composer, he has composed numerous film soundtracks, but he also actively composes music for TV series and dramas for RTI-Mediaset, RAI, Medusa, and Aran Endemol.

He has composed original music for films and commercials, including for Fiat, Wind Telecomunicazioni, Glenlivet, Barilla, Scavolini, Unicredit, FIAT, TIM, and many others.

From 2011 to 2015, he was a member of the board of directors of SUISA (the sister company that performs the same functions as SIAE in Switzerland). He was a member of the Culture Commission of the City of Lugano for the LAC.

Since July 2023, he has repatriated to Italy and lives in the Municipality of Forte dei Marmi.

Eleonora Pasqual, born in 2005 to a family of musicians, began studying piano at the age of eight.

During her studies she has performed in solo concerts and taken part in various concert series, also appearing as a soloist with orchestra in Bolzano and Novate.

She has attended several masterclasses with renowned teachers such as Aleksandr Kobrin, Mariagrazia Bellocchio, Enrico Pace, and Filippo Gorini, who selected her to perform on behalf of the Busoni-Mahler Foundation.

She won first prize overall at the Maria Labia International Competition, second prize at the Rugginenti International Competition, first prize as part of a trio at the “Prima la Musica” competition, and third prize at the “WPTA Italy IPC Piano Competition,” where she was nominated for the best performance of a Chopin étude.

She was invited to make recordings by the “Accademia di studi italo-tedeschi” in Merano.

She is currently studying at the Claudio Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano, where she is enrolled in the three-year undergraduate program under Maestro Cristiano Burato.

Giacomo Piazza graduated at a very young age with top marks and honors from the Conservatory of Brescia under the guidance of Maurizio Zana. After further studies with György Cziffra in Senlis (France), he performed in concerts as a soloist, in a duo with cellist Eugenio Reboldi, in a trio, and with various chamber ensembles. For over 30 years he served as organist at the Abbey of Leno (Brescia). Consistently praised by critics for his distinctive personality and esteemed as an accompanist for both instrumentalists and opera singers, since 2017 he has held a tenured teaching position at a conservatory and is currently on the faculty of the C. Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano.

Graduating in cello at the age of 17 with top honors and praise under the guidance of Radu Aldulescu, he served for years as principal cellist of the Concerto Italiano ensemble, conducted by Rinaldo Alessandrini. In 1999, he was chosen by Maurizio Pollini to participate in the “Pollini Project” at the Salzburg Festival, which was later performed at Carnegie Hall, in Tokyo, and in Rome. He has performed chamber music concerts with world-renowned artists such as Sawallisch, Chung, Lonquich, Sitkovetsky, Kavakos, Bell, and the Labèque sisters. From 2009 to 2019, he was a member of the “Latitude 41” trio. Since 2005, he has been performing in a duo with Antonio Pappano: their CD featuring Brahms’ Sonatas was released in 2020.

He has performed as a soloist with prestigious orchestras—including the Tokyo Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Seoul Philharmonic, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal—under the direction of conductors such as Chung, Nagano, Pappano, and Pletnev. For nearly thirty years, he has been the principal solo cellist of the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

Since 2002, he has increasingly dedicated himself to orchestral conducting. He has collaborated with soloists such as Avital, Bacalov, Bollani, Brunello, De Maria, Lupo, and Sitkovetsky. From 2008 to 2016, he was the artistic director of the Estate Musicale Frentana in Lanciano. From 2013 to 2017, he served as the musical director of the Roma Tre Orchestra, and from 2012 to 2022, he was the musical director of the Orchestra ICO della Magna Grecia in Taranto. In 2013, he established a permanent collaboration leading the Archi di Santa Cecilia (Strings of Santa Cecilia), performing in the most important Italian concert seasons and festivals, and recording 7 CDs to date.

Among his most recent engagements are several concerts and an Italian tour conducting the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra (with new concerts, a CD, and a new Italian tour planned for 2026), Tosca at the Teatro Bellini in Catania, concerts with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, and debuts with the Philzuid in the Netherlands, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a solo performance at the Grafenegg Festival in Austria.

Already captivated at the age of 10 by a performance of fifteenthcentury music, then at 15 by the tablatures he encountered during guitar studies completed at the Conservatory of Riva del Garda in 1989, and finally at 20 by the instruments he came across in a choir devoted to “early music,” he graduated in Musicology in 1996 from the Faculty of Musicology (Cremona) at the University of Pavia and earned a diploma in Lute in 2001 from the Conservatory “S. Cecilia” in Rome with A. Damiani.

Almost unintentionally becoming a freelance lutenist, over his career he has collaborated with various Italian historically informed ensembles such as Baroque Bozen Orchestra, Academia Montis Regalis, Accademia Bizantina, Ensemble Zefiro, Concerto Italiano, as well as foreign groups (Collegium 1704 – Prague, Piccolo Concerto – Vienna, Divino Sospiro – Lisbon, Les Talens Lyriques – Paris, Orpheo Zenekar – Budapest), and survived numerous modern orchestras eager to tackle early repertoire (Wiener Symphoniker, Hamburgische Staatsoper, Camerata Bern, I Solisti Veneti, Orchestra da Camera di Mantova, Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino).

Averse to commercial trends and the rampant crossover (though not without having successfully experimented in events such as the Berchidda Festival with Paolo Fresu and Uri Caine, or the International Lute Meeting in Athens alongside leading oud players from the Arab tradition), he has taken part in countless video recordings and around a hundred audio recordings. He is especially fond of the double concertos for mandora, Jew’s harp, and strings by Johann Georg Albrechtsberger—an example of the repertoire of his greatest musical and musicological interest, for which he is recognized worldwide and is a regular guest of the Deutsche Lautengesellschaft. Deeply in love with the endless and everchanging mountain horizons where he was born (from whose constant exploration, and from the historical study of the toil and sacrifice infused in them, he draws continual parallels and vital musical inspiration), he decided some time ago to devote himself—with rare exceptions—exclusively to live performance, the irreplaceable medium for the human transmission of music. He has taught Lute at the Conservatories of Trento and Pesaro.

Francesco Ricci, born in 2003, studied at the Ottorino Respighi Conservatory in Latina under M° Antonella Lunghi from 2017 to 2019, where he attended preparatory courses and several masterclasses in contemporary music. He took part in his first masterclass as an external student in 2015, which involved a rigorous study of early 20th-century French piano literature, and in 2018 he participated in a series dedicated to the complete performance of Debussy’s Preludes. Since 2020 he has been an enrolled student at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, where he was admitted with top marks and where he continues to study with the same teacher. Each year he attends summer courses, also taking lessons with maestros such as Enrico Pace, Benedetto Lupo, Anna Kravtchenko, Andrea Lucchesini, and Pierluigi Camicia. He competes in national and international competitions, consistently placing among the top ranks, and is selected on multiple occasions to represent the Conservatory. He performs regularly in various venues, including the prestigious Liszt Hall of the Hungarian Academy, and has several recitals scheduled. He was chosen to perform with the Conservatory orchestra for the world premieres of several contemporary works. He also deepens his chamber music repertoire in ensembles ranging from duo to sextet. A pupil first of Alexander Romanovsky and later of the three-year advanced piano course of Roberto Plano, Francesco Ricci placed 4th at the Premio Venezia 2024.

He is a student of the Fondazione Accademia di Musica.

The Sabatini–Rugani Duo (Daniele Sabatini, violin, and Simone Rugani, piano) is a multifaceted ensemble that, since its inception, has been devoted to sharing its passion for chamber music with audiences, with a marked interest in contemporary music.

They have performed in numerous prestigious venues, including Edsberg Slott in Stockholm, the Edinburgh Society of Musicians, the ORF Radiokulturhaus in Vienna, the Archdiocese of Glasgow, and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius. They have been invited multiple times to perform in New York at the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò of New York University, at the Italian Cultural Institute, and in collaboration with the Consulate General of Lithuania.

In Italy they have given concerts at the Sala dei Giganti (Padua); at the Teatro Argentina and the Oratorio del Gonfalone (Rome); Ateneo Veneto (Venice), Teatro Comunale di Ferrara, Teatro Lottagono (Bergamo); and they have appeared at festivals and for musical associations such as Roma Tre Orchestra, Musica Insieme Bologna, Classiche Forme, Paesaggi Musicali Toscani, Sincronìa Roma, Divertimento Ensemble (Milan), Torino Chamber Music Festival, Lunigiana International Music Festival, Campus delle Arti, Asiago Festival, MoMùs Padova – Barco Teatro, and Maggio della grande musica in Cantù. Recently, under the baton of Sieva Borzak, they performed Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto with the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra.

For two consecutive years, the Sabatini–Rugani Duo was invited to participate in the International Summer Academy (ISA) of the MDW, where they had the honor of working closely with maestros such as Hatto Beyerle, Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Johannes Meissl, Patrick Jüdt, and Vida Vujic. This experience deeply inspired the Duo and pushed them to delve into scores to refine every facet of performance, in the conviction that the connections forged and the stories told while making music together have an electrifying power of cohesion and communion, capable of building bridges between different cultures at a time when our societies appear increasingly fragmented.

Born in Rome but raised in Australia, DANIELE SABATINI began studying the violin in Melbourne at the age of seven under the guidance of maestros Toni Robson and Haruo Goto. As a soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Tunisia, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. In addition to numerous duo concerts, Daniele has also had the opportunity to perform with artists such as Ilya Grubert, Enrico Bronzi, Konstantin Bogino, Michael Flaksman, Oliver Kern, Amalia Hall, Paolo Bonomini, and Francesco Fiore.

In 2022 he was invited by the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra to perform two Mendelssohn concerts: the Violin Concerto in D minor and the Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Orchestra. In November 2019 he performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto in A major with Romænsemble in the final round of the 7th Annarosa Taddei International Competition for Solo Piano and Violin, winning 3rd Prize.

Beyond chamber music, Daniele has collaborated with numerous orchestras. In September 2023 he was invited by the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto as concertmaster for a tour across major theatres in Umbria. He has also appeared as concertmaster with the Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra, Roma Tre Orchestra, and the Accademia di Santa Sofia Chamber Orchestra, in concerts at the Sala Petrassi of the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the Teatro Palladium, the Teatro Diana in Naples, the Sant’Agostino Auditorium in Benevento, and the “E. Morricone” Auditorium of the University of Tor Vergata. With the Accademia di Santa Sofia he recently served as violin soloist in a new commission by composer Piero Niro. In 2019 he earned his second-level academic diploma in violin with honors and special mention from the “Santa Cecilia” Conservatory in Rome. Daniele studied with maestro Marco Fiorentini at the AIMR Academy in Rome and has attended masterclasses with maestros Sergey Girshenko, Felix Ayo, Roberto Gonzalez-Monjas, Benjamin Schmid, and Evgenia Epshtein; he is currently pursuing a Solistenexamen with maestro Sergey Khachatryan at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe.

Born in 1993 and graduating with top marks at the age of 17 from the ISSM Mascagni in Livorno under Prof. Nadia Lencioni, SIMONE RUGANI has performed at numerous festivals in Italy and abroad (including the “Aurora Star Music Festival” 2012 in Sweden with maestros Urban Agnas and Jonas Bylund, and the 2017 Asiago Festival with Duccio Beluffi and Claudio Pasceri).

As a soloist, Simone won First Prize with highest honors at the 26th “Città di Albenga” International Piano Competition and at the 4th National Competition “Nuova Coppa Pianisti d’Italia” in Osimo.

He recorded a CD/DVD of works by composer Cesare Galeotti and a CD of music by Debussy and Stravinsky for Musikstrasse, a prize won within the “Campus delle Arti” 2013.

He also took part in the recording of the complete Prokofiev sonatas organized by the Conservatory of Padua, recording Sonata No. 8.

He pursued advanced studies with Laura Pietrocini, Fabrizio Datteri, Aquiles Delle Vigne, Mats Widlund, Boris Berman, Pavel Gililov, Maria Grazia Bellocchio, and Pier Narciso Masi.

In 2019 he completed his second-level master’s degree with highest marks at the Conservatory of Padua under maestro Konstantin Bogino. A passionate chamber musician, he performs regularly in various ensembles, including with clarinetist Kevin Spagnolo, with whom he has also appeared for the Associazione Musicale Lucchese, Bologna Festival, Perugia Classica, Amici della Musica di Firenze, as well as with Simon Zhu, Erica Piccotti, Tommaso Lonquich, Matteo Rocchi, and Francesco Gatti.

Simone also holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of Pisa with a thesis on audio file upsampling, and he is a tenured Professor of Chamber Music at the “Perosi” Conservatory in Campobasso.

Ugo Sani, a Classics graduate and member of the Accademia dei Fisiocritici, has been a teacher at Montepulciano Licei Poliziani for forty years. He writes books and essays on local history; including the essential Da San Quirico in Osenna a San Quirico d’Orcia. Tracce di una comunità, published in 2023. He has also published short essays dedicated to St. Francis and the artistic depictions of the Saint of Assisi. In 2025, he released a fiction book titled Il violino scordato e altri racconti. He contributes to history journals and periodicals, writing articles on landscapes and gardens history. In 2013, he conceived and founded Paesaggi Musicali Toscani. A music enthusiast, he has released albums featuring songs for which he composed both the music and lyrics.

“The two over there, at the piano, they understand. They no longer interpret, they transform a work from the past into a fulfilling part of our life, now, at this moment.” –Süddeutsche Zeitung

Pianists Sivan Silver and Gil Garburg have earned the applause of audiences and praise from critics and are hailed as one of today’s leading piano duos. They have performed in over 70 countries on five continents and regularly play as soloists with major orchestras, including the Vienna Symphony, Lucerne Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Portland Symphony, German Chamber Philharmonic, Berlin Symphony, Prague Symphony, and many others. They perform in venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Vienna Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Sydney Opera House, Salzburg Festival Hall, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, KKL Lucerne, Rudolfinum Prague, Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, and more.
The duo’s debut album, featuring Mendelssohn’s concertos for two pianos recorded with the Bavarian Chamber Philharmonic conducted by Christopher Hogwood, has been described as “breathtaking” (Bayerischer Rundfunk), “extremely exciting” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), and “brilliant” (Rondo). Since then, Silver and Garburg have released ten more albums, which have won awards and critical acclaim: their album of Stravinsky ballets was described as “grandiose” (Pizzicato, Supersonic Award), ‘thrilling’ (Fono Forum, Album of the Month), and “wonderfully enchanting” (Neue Merker); The album Illumination, featuring works by Liszt, Schumann, and Saint-Saëns, was praised for its “tremendous virtuosity”, “superb tonal sensitivity” and “imaginative rubati and agogics” (Concerti) and was perceived as an “enlightening revelation” (Aachener Zeitung), “truly an Illumination” (American Record Guide) and “bordering on a miracle” (radio Bremen). Other recordings by the duo include concertos by Mozart and Brahms.

In 2024, the duo released a double album dedicated to Schubert’s works: “It is rare to hear such a soulful sounding piano. Sensitive and heartfelt playing that often moves the listener to tears. It is impossible to imagine it better or more beautiful” (Klassik Heute). In 2025, they released their latest album, “Große Fugue”.

 According to Sivan Silver, “As a couple, we express our feelings and at the same time share a common sensitivity. We are one entity, yet we are in dialogue with each other—that’s where the magic lies.” Gil Garburg adds: “The more we work together, the more we grow together and the freer we become. With four hands, we realize everything we imagine in our minds.” And the two conclude: “As a piano duo, it’s easy to make effects with virtuosity. But that alone is far too little. We want to move our listeners emotionally and bring them to the core of the music.”

 Since 2014, Silver & Garburg have held a professorship for piano duo at the Graz University of Music and Performing Arts. Previously, they taught at the Hanover Musikhochschule, at which they themselves completed their studies under Prof. Arie Vardi. They give masterclasses at leading academic institutions and serve as artistic directors and heads of the piano duo jury at the International Chamber Music Competition “Franz Schubert and Modern Music” in Graz. 

During the current concert season, the Silver- Garburg Piano Duo will tour North and South America, Australia, Asia, and many European countries. Among other venues, the duo will return to the Musikverein in Vienna and the Philharmonie in Berlin, where they will perform as soloists with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.