The artists of the festival

All the musicians

Discover the great musicians who will give life to the XXII edition of the Festival

Tomoko Akasaka

JAPAN

During and after winning numerous prizes, including the 1st prize at the 12th Japan classical music competition and the 3rd prize at the 53th ARD International music competition, Akasaka has performed as a soloist and chamber musician worldwide.

As a soloist she has appeared with the Orchester included the Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Muenchener Kammerorchester, the Orchestre de chamber de Genève, the Kremerata Baltica, the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra the Japan Symphony orchestra under the baton of conductors like Seiji Ozawa, Johannes Kalitzke, Raman Kofman, Kazuki Yamada, Douglas Boyd amongst others…

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The series of Recitals in Geneva and Tokyo has been broadcasted by Swiss Romande, and NHK- Her artistic partnerships as a chamber musician include work with include Mstislav Rostropovich,

Daniel Hope, Gidon Kremer, Philippe Jarousky, Micha Meisky, Patricia Kopatcinskaja, Ebéne

Quartet, Jerusalem Quartet, Kuss Quartet, at international music festivals such as Salzburg

Festival, Lockenhaus Festival, Bad-Kissingen sommer, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, BBC Proms, Saito-Kinen Festival, Luzern and Verbier Festival, Kronberg Festival, Rio de Janeiro Festival,

Schubertiade etc.

Tomoko Akasaka has performed at concert venues include the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Konzerthaus and Philharmonie Berlin, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Royal Albert hall and Wigmore hall in London, Vienna Konzerthaus, Zurich Tonhalle, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Schloss Nymphenburg Munich, Shanghai Grand Theater,and National Centre for the performing arts in Beijing,

Geneva Victoria Hall.

Tomoko Akasaka si è esibita in sedi concertistiche come il Concertgebouw di Amsterdam, il Konzerthaus e la Philharmonie di Berlino, l’Elbphilharmonie di Amburgo, la Royal Albert Hall e la Wigmore Hall di Londra, il Konzerthaus di Vienna, la Tonhalle di Zurigo, la Suntory Hall di Tokyo, il Schloss Nymphenburg di Monaco, il Grand Theater di Shanghai, e il National Centre for the Performing Arts di Pechino, il Victoria Hall di Ginevra.

Tomoko Akasaka ha studiato con Nobuko Imai, per la quale ha lavorato come assistente professore presso il Conservatorio di Musica di Ginevra. Inoltre, la signora Akasaka ha lavorato come professore ospite al Conservatorio di Neuchâtel. Attualmente ricopre la posizione di professore di viola presso la Musikhochschule di Münster.

simone briatore

Italy

He obtained his violin diploma with Christine Anderson, the viola one with Davide Zaltron and the composition one with Giorgio Colombo Taccani. He distinguished himself in various Italian contests and he attended advanced courses with Pavel Vernikov and Vadim Brodsky, Christoph Schiller, Bruno Giuranna, Wolfram Christ. He also participated to Tabea Zimmermann’s masterclass at the Centre de musique Hindemith” in Blonay (Svizzera) e at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festivalin Lubecca…

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He obtained his violin diploma with Christine Anderson, the viola one with Davide Zaltron and the composition one with Giorgio Colombo Taccani.

He distinguished himself in various Italian contests and he attended advanced courses with Pavel Vernikov and Vadim Brodsky, Christoph Schiller, Bruno Giuranna, Wolfram Christ. He also participated to Tabea Zimmermann’s masterclass at the Centre de musique Hindemith” in Blonay (Svizzera) e at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festivalin Lubecca.

With Rai Symphonic Orchestra, he played Schnittke concert directed by Master Jansug Kakhidze , the Don Quixote by Richard Strauss and Harold en Italie by Hector Berlioz.

In 2015, together with violinist Roberto Gonzalez, he performed Mozart Symphony Concertante with the Orchestra of the Santa Cecilia Academy, under the direction of Master Christoph Eschenbach.

Since 2010 he is a regular guest of Portogruaro’s advanced courses, as a viola tutor.

From 1998 to 2009 he has been Prima Viola with Rai National Symphonic Orchestra, and since 2009 he is Prima Viola with the Orchestra of Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome.

GABRIELE CARCANO

ITALY

Gabriele Carcano’s musical intelligence and communicative skill have made him one of the most prominent Italian musicians of his generation. Winner of the 2010 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, he is a pianist equally at home in recital, as a soloist with an orchestra, and as a chamber musician. Described by the Süddeutsche Zeitung as “a sculptor of sound, an aesthete” following his debut at the Herkulessaal in Munich, Gabriele has received numerous accolades, including the Casella Prize at the Premio Venezia Competition, where he made his debut at the Teatro La Fenice.

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He has performed at venues such as the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, Wigmore Hall in London, the KKL in Lucerne, the Scherzo Series in Madrid, the Società del Quartetto in Milan, the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, and the Parco della Musica in Rome, as well as in the United States, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. He has been a guest at numerous festivals, including the Mariinsky International Piano Festival in St Petersburg, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Festival Radio France in Montpellier, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the prestigious Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse, and the Pau Casals Festival, amongst others.
As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras such as the Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra of Milan, the Orchestre National de Montpellier, the Mantua Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, the Orchestra del Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari and the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, under the baton of Ton Koopman, Alain Altinoglu, Lawrence Foster, Ion Marin, Claus Peter Flor, Maxim Emelyanychev, Daniel Oren and Clemens Schuldt.
A passionate and regular chamber musician, he frequently collaborates with Carolin Widmann, Stephen Waarts, Lorenza Borrani, the Hermes Quartet, Eckart Runge, Viviane Hagner, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Enrico Dindo and the bass-baritone Hanno Müller-Brachmann.
At the invitation of Mitsuko Uchida, he has appeared four times at the Marlboro Festival and has been a leading figure in the Musicians from Marlboro’s tours, performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the PCMS in Philadelphia, and the Gardner Museum Concert Series in Boston, as well as in Montréal, Toronto and Washington DC.
Next season, he will perform the complete set of Beethoven’s sonatas for violin and piano with Carolin Widmann in various cities, and will play at venues such as the Alte Oper in Frankfurt and the Boulez Saal in Berlin.
In 2026, he was appointed Professor of Piano at the prestigious Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
Gabriele Carcano released his first CD featuring early works by Johannes Brahms on the Oehms Classics label, followed by two more on Rubicon Classics: a solo album dedicated to Schumann and a duo recording with the violinist Stephen Waarts. His recordings have been widely acclaimed by international critics (Sunday Telegraph, The Independent, Fonoforum, Amadeus, BBC and NDR), and have also won two Supersonic Awards from Pizzicato magazine.
Between 2020 and 2022, he performed the complete Beethoven Sonatas with the Fidelio Orchestra in London, combining years of work on the German repertoire with a particular focus on new ways of experiencing concerts and new performance spaces. Over the past two years, he has also collaborated with the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company on various projects, exploring the potential and richness of an interdisciplinary approach, and taking the productions on tour across Europe.
Born in Turin, he began studying the piano at the age of seven and graduated from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in his home city at the age of seventeen with top marks, honours and a special commendation. He continued his studies with Andrea Lucchesini at the Pinerolo Academy of Music and with Aldo Ciccolini in Paris, subsequently specialising with Nicholas Angelich at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique and with Marie-Françoise Bucquet. He also studied with Richard Goode and Alfred Brendel. He has received support from the Fondazione De Sono and the Fondazione CRT, and in 2008 he was awarded a scholarship by the Fondation des Banques Populaires Françaises – Natexis.
In addition to his post at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, he has also been teaching at the Pinerolo Academy of Music for the past ten years.
Gabriele is a Steinway Artist.

Nicola Cazzalini

ITALY

He trained with Teatro Itinerante in Cremona and specialised in Pordenone with an International Master in “Commedia dellʼArte” at the Scuola Sperimentale dellʼAttore. He continued his training by focusing on narrative techniques and children’s theatre. His work aims to research a transversal language, contaminated by different expressive codes: actor, narrative and puppetry theatre, circus skills, open-space theatre. 

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A professional actor since 2001, with numerous national and international collaborations (Teatro Tascabile di Bergamo, Marcello e Pietro Chiarenza, Circo e Dintorni, Sprookjes en zo – Belgium), in 2008 he founded the Teatroallosso company with which he produces shows dedicated to theatre for children, schools and families. 
He has been artistic director of the Franco Agostino Teatro Festival, an international festival dedicated to school theatre, since 2008, and of the school and Sunday season of the San Domenico Theatre in Crema, since 2021. 
Since 1997, he has been holding theatre workshops in primary and secondary schools, designing and perfecting his own original teaching method for Dynamic Group Theatre.

Gabriele Geminiani

ITALY

Born in Pesaro, he graduated with top marks, praise and honourable mention; he studied with W. Di Stefano, M. Cazacu, M. Scano and attended advanced courses at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena with M. Maisky and A. Meneses. He studied chamber music with the Trio di Trieste, P. N. Masi, K. Bogino, P. Vernikov and A. Menieur. He has performed as a soloist with conductors such as G. Pehlivanian, C. Poppen, Y. Valchua, B. Haitink, Myung Whun-Chung, K. Nagano and D. Gatti. He premiered the first Italian performance of HK Gruber's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra under the composer’s guidance…

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In 1997 he was awarded the special prize for the best performance of the piece ‘Spins and Spells’ by K. Saariaho at the international competition ‘M. Rostropovich’.
In 1998 he won the competition for 1st cello at the O. R. T. and in 1999 that for 1st cello at the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

He has been 1st cello in the Orchestra Mozart since 2010.
He has collaborated with the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Symphonica d’Italia, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Symphoniker Hamburg, Orchestra Sinfonica de Galicia, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Orchestre da la Suisse Romande and Orchestra del Lucerne Festival at the invitation of C. Abbado.
He currently teaches chamber music at the Conservatorio di musica ‘G. Rossini’ in Pesaro. He has recorded for La Bottega Discantica, Decca and is a Promu Label artist. He plays a 1903 ‘Carlo Giuseppe Oddone’ cello.

Manuel Kastl

GERMANY

Born in Erlangen MANUEL KASTL received his first violin lessons at the age of six. After being a junior student at the age of fourteen in the class of Ulf Klausenitzer at the Meistersinger Konservatorium Nuremberg he completed his studies with Daniel Gaede at the Musikhochschule Nuremberg and with Igor Ozim at the Salzburg Mozarteum. Further studies led him to Peter Zazofski (Boston/USA). He received important impulses through his participation in masterclasses with Thomas Brandis, Vadim Repin, Donald Weilerstein, Kolja Blacher and Christian Tetzlaff etc. Manuel Kastl was a scholarship holder of the prestigious German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes) and the Albert Eckstein Foundation and has won prizes in several competitions (e.g. “Jugend musiziert”, Lions Club competition). Kastl was concertmaster of the German Bundesjugendorchester and of the European Union Youth Orchestra and graduated from the Academy of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in Munich…

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Since 2006 he is a member of the Orchestra Mozart and played numerous concert with their chief conductors Claudio Abbado, Bernhard Haitink and Daniele Gatti. In 2011 Claudio Abbado engaged him to join the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in 2011. He has also played in many other excellent orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Bamberger Symphoniker. Manuel Kastl collaborates regularly with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and appears as a guest concertmaster in leading orchestras like the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Bayerische Staatsoper, Konzerthausorchester Berlin etc. Among his chamber music partners are Kit Armstrong, Jens-Peter Maintz, Wolfram Christ, Raphael Christ, the Leipzig String Quartet etc. As a soloist, Manuel Kastl has performed with orchestras throughout Germany and other European countries. In addition to his musical activities, Manuel Kastl studied medical physics in Erlangen and Munich and is now a researcher at the Helmholtz Centre in Munich. Scholarships from the German National Academic Foundation have enabled him to study at Harvard University and in South Korea. Since 2011 he is first concertmaster of the Staatsphilharmonie Nuremberg.

Elisa La Marca

ITALY

Elisa La Marca graduated with honours in classical guitar and lute. She studied with P. Coppi, M. Lonardi, R. Lislevand, L. Micheli, M. Pasotti.

As a continuist, she has collaborated with Il Giardino Armonico and Giovanni Antonini, Les Musiciens du Prince and Cecilia Bartoli, English Baroque Soloists and Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Zefiro, Cappella Mediterranea, Il Pomo d’Oro and Accademia dell’Annunciata.

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She has performed in important theatres such as the Teatro alla Scala, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Opera Versailles, the Palau de la Musica, the Elbphilarmonie, the Salzburger Festspiele, the Berliner Konzerthaus.

She co-founded the Quartetto di Liuti di Milano with which she recorded the album ‘Vita de la mia Vita’ (2015). As a soloist, she has recently been invited to give Masterclasses and solo recitals by various institutions, including the University of Rhode Island and Colorado University.

She recently released her first soloist album ‘The Queenes Masks – A Varietie of Lute Music from the Early English Court’, for Arcana Outhere.

Diego Matheuz

VENEZUELA

He has been principal guest conductor of the Mozart Orchestra since 2009, and of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra since 2013. He has been conductor of the Sinfonica Simon Bolivar de Venezuela since 2013, and he was principal conductor of the Teatro la Fenice from 2011 to 2014.

Born in Barquisimeto (Venezuela) in 1984 , he studied violin and orchestra conduction in the Venezuelan Stystem. Since then, he has conducted some of the major Italian orchestras (Santa Cecilia, Rai di Torino, Maggio Fiorentino, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra Verdi) and around the world (Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmoniker Hamburg, Česká filharmonie, Radio France, Wiener Kammerorchester, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Philharmonia Zürich, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Vancouver Symphony, Saito Kinen, NHK).

In December 2019 he directed and recorded with Deutsche Grammophon the 120th anniversary of the Gala Concert in Japan with Anne-Sophie Mutter and master Seiji Ozawa.

Sara Mingardo

ITALY

Sara Mingardo is a highly sought-after and highly appreciated interpreter within a vast repertoire. She had an interesting and poignant collaboration with M. Claudio Abbado , she regularly collaborates with the major theaters in the world, under the direction of Masters such as Rinaldo Alessandrini, Fabio Biondi, Ottavio Dantone, Ivor Bolton, Riccardo Chailly, Myung Whun- Chung, Paul Daniel, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Emmanuelle Hàim, Marc Minkowski, Riccardo Muti, Sir Roger Norrington, Maurizio Pollini, Christophe Rousset, Jordi Savall, Peter Schreier, Kent Nagano, Pierre Boulez, Zabin Metha, Lorin Maazel, Daniele Gatti, Michele Campanella, Franqois Xavier-Roth, Jeffrey Tate, collaborating with prestigious international orchestras, such as Berliner Philharmoniker, London Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, New York Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Nationale de France, Les Musiciens du Luvre, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Montevedri Choir and Orchestra, Concerto Italiano, Les Talents Lyriques, Academia Montis Regalis and many others. Particularly prolific in the concert repertoire, ranging from Pergolesi to Respighi, passing through Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak and Mahler…

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Her opera repertoire includes works by Gluck, Monteverdi, Handel, Vivaldi, Rossini, Verdi, Cavalli, Mozart, Donizetti, Schumann and Berlioz. Sara Mingardo studied with tenor Franco Ghitti at the “Benedetto Marcello” Conservatory in Venice, her hometown. Winner of numerous national and international competitions, she began her musical life playing the title role in La Cenerentola by G. Rossini, as the winner of the international competition Toti Dal Monte in Treviso. In 2001 she won two Grammy Awards for the live recording of Les Troyens by H. Berlioz, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra and in 2009 the Association of Italian Critics awarded her the prestigious Abbiati Prize.

Francesco Senese

ITALY

Member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Assistant Concertmaster of the Orchestra Mozart.

As a soloist he has performed with the Orchestra Mozart conducted by Claudio Abbado, with the Orchestra Simon Bolivar conducted by Diego Matheuz, with the Human Rights Orchestra conducted by Alessio Allegrini and with the Cameristi della Scala. He is a frequent guest of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and, as Concertmaster and first violin, of the Symphonieorchester des Bayerishen Rundfunks, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxenbourg, Bochumer Symphoniker, SWR Symphonieorchester and the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala.

In summer 2023, he was invited to play with Maestro Seiji Ozawa’s Saito Kinen Orchestra, performing under the conductor John Williams…

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He has performed live on radio for Rai Radio3’s Concerti del Quirinale and for RSI.

In 2018, he recorded for Amadeus the complete works for violin and piano by Gabriel Fauré together with pianist André Gallo, with whom he explores the chamber music repertoire for duo.

A passionate teacher, he regularly collaborates with various projects for education and social action through music such as El Sistema Venezuela, SONG-Sistema in Lombardia, Musica Insieme in Librino di Catania and El Sistema Europe.

Since March 2023, he has been invited as Guest Professor and Tutor at Seiji Ozawa Academy Japan.

Since the academic year 2023-24 he has held the chair of violin at the Conservatorio ‘G. Verdi’ in Como.

Giorgio Senese

ITALY

Founder and artistic director of the Festival Musica sull’Acqua in Colico and MACH (Music, Art, Creativity Hub) Project and Orchestra, he has performed with musicians such as Mario Brunello, Julian Rachlin, Isabelle Faust, Clemens Hagen, Sara Mingardo, Andrea Lucchesini, Magnus Lindgren, Boris Petrushiansky, Ian Bostridge, Ingrid Fliter, Enrico Pace, Itamar Golan, Alessio Allegrini, Alina Pogotskina and Louis Lortie. He has performed live on radio for Rai Radio3’s Concerti del Quirinale and for RSI. In 2018, he recorded for Amadeus the complete works for violin and piano by Gabriel Fauré together with pianist André Gallo, with whom he explores the chamber music repertoire for duo. A passionate teacher, he regularly collaborates with various projects for education and social action through music such as El Sistema Venezuela, SONG-Sistema in Lombardia, Musica Insieme in Librino di Catania and El Sistema Europe.

Since March 2023, he has been invited as Guest Professor and Tutor at Seiji Ozawa Academy Japan. Since the academic year 2023-24 he has held the chair of violin at the Conservatorio ‘G. Verdi’ in Como.

Emma Parmigiani

ITALY

Emma Parmigiani, born in Parma in 1997, took her degree at eighteen at the Conservatory “A. Boito” of Parma under the guide of Grazia Serradimigni, getting the highest marks with honors, and a special prizes. In 2009 she achieved the first absolute prize at the European Music Competition in Moncalieri. In 2011 she won the first International Mozart Concert in Quinto Vicentino, as well as the national contest in Riccione and the Bologna Impulliti Contest, where she received the jury’s special prize.

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She has attended several courses and master- classes with Ana Chumachenco, Rainer Honeck, Ilya Grubert, Krzysztof Wegrzyn, Kolja Lessing, Ivan Rabaglia, Rudens Turku, Felice Cusano, Lenuta Ciulei, Yves Savary, and Pierpaolo Maurizzi. As a solo musician, in 2016 she made her debut with the Brahms’s concert with the Symphony Orchestra Arturo Toscanini from Parma and the Mozart Violin Concert in D Major K218 in Venice. From 2015 until 2017 she played has an official member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester in the role of assistant concertmaster and first violin tutti, having the privilege to play with many prestigious conductors.
In June 2019 she played with the Orchestra of Europe in Switzerland. In February 2021 she took her Master degree in the class of Reto Kuppel in the Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg. She has been collaborating with orchestras such as Spira Mirabilis, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (as assistant concertmaster and first violin tutti), Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice di Venezia, Orchestra Leonore, Orchestra da Camera di Mantova, LaFil – Filarmonica di Milano, Orchestra da Camera L’Appassionata. Since 2018 she has been playing with the Orchestra Mozart founded by Claudio Abbado and with this orchestra she had the privilege to play under the baton of Bernard Haitink, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Daniele Gatti. Since 2023 she plays in the Quartetto Pegreffi.

Isabella De Massis

ITALY

Isabella De Massis studied opera singing with Maestro Antonella Muscente, graduating with distinction from the “L. D’Annunzio” Conservatoire in Pescara. She then specialised in the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire at the ‘Santa Cecilia’ Conservatory in Rome under the guidance of Maestros Sara Mingardo and Silvia Frigato, and furthered her studies at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Maestro Sara Mingardo.

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A mezzo-soprano and contralto active as a soloist, she has performed in concerts at prestigious venues both nationally and internationally. Among her most notable productions are: Bach’s *Mass in B minor* at the Festival of Sacred Music in Tione and Trento; the role of Amore in Monteverdi’s *Ballo delle Ingrate* at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza for the Vicenza in Lirica Festival; the role of contralto soloist and Testis I in Bach’s *St Matthew Passion* at the Stresa Festival 2022; the role of Abra in Vivaldi’s *Juditha Triumphans*, in a staged production at the Teatro del Popolo in Gallarate. In 2025, she sang in Handel’s *Messiah* at the Basilica of San Giovanni Bosco in Rome to mark the Jubilee of Choirs. On 28 February 2026, she performed at the Teatro “Tosti” in Ortona for the Istituto Nazionale Tostiano, in a concert dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the birth of Francesco Paolo Tosti.

Kandinsky Quartet

AUSTRIA

The Kandinsky Quartet, founded in Vienna in 2020, is rapidly establishing itself as one of the most compelling young string quartets in Europe. Prizewinners of the “Verbier Festival Anniversary Prize 2023”, the International Mozart Competition Salzburg, and the Boccherini Competition, the ensemble has already appeared at leading festivals such as the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Venice Biennale, Wien Modern, Milano Musica, Rheingau Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Festival Música Sur, Chaise-Dieu, Styrian Chamber Music Festival, Brac Classic, Stars and Rising Stars, Inventio Music and Gent Festival.

ITALY

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Mario Brunello is one of the most fascinating, all-round and sought-after artists of his generation. Soloist, conductor, chamber musician and recently pioneer of new sounds with his small cello, he has been the first European to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1986. His authentic and passionate style has led him to collaborate with the most important conductors such as Antonio Pappano, Valery Gergiev, Myung-whung Chung, Yuri Temirkanov, Zubin Mehta, Ton Koopman, Manfred Honeck, Riccardo Muti, Daniele Gatti, Seiji Ozawa, Riccardo Chailly and Claudio Abbado.Throughout his long career, Mario Brunello has performed with the world’s most prestigious orchestras including the London Symphony and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, NHK Tokyo, the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Filarmonica della Scala and the Monaco Philharmonic, to name a few. Brunello plays a precious Maggini of the early seventeenth century, sided in recent years by the small four-string cello . This instrument, widely used in the Baroque era, is built in the typical violin tuning (mi, la, re, sol), but at a lower octave, thus maintaining the depth and darker nuances typical of the cello. These peculiarities have indeed led Brunello to explore the musical masterpieces of the violin repertoire of Bach, Vivaldi, Tartini and contemporaries. His recent recordings with the small cello include the complete 3 Sonatas and 3 Partitas by JS Bach, an album entitled ‘Sonar in Ottava’ together with the Accademia dell’Annunciata and Giuliano Carmignola and a third disc dedicated to Giuseppe Tartini for the 250th anniversary of his death. The last recording is dedicated to JS Bach’s ‘Sei Suonate a cembalo certato e violino solo’. Two exceptional recordings were born from the close collaboration with Kremerata Baltica and Gidon Kremer : ‘The Protecting Veil’ by Tavener recorded at the Lockenhaus Festival and ‘Searching for Ludwig’ (November 2020) – a tribute to Beethoven, which sees two Beethoven quartets in the string orchestra version share the stage with contemporary Beethoven-inspired pieces by Léo Ferré and Giovanni Sollima. Mario Brunello is the Artistic Director of the Arte Sella and Suoni delle Dolomiti Festivals. In October 2020 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Stresa Festival, succeeding Gianandrea Noseda.

Israel Gutiérrez Vildosola

CHILE

Israel Gutiérrez Vildosola, born in 1996 in Chillán, Chile, received his first violin lessons at the age of nine from Carmen Gloria Meya at the “Claudio Arrau León” School of the Arts in Chillán.
He has performed as a soloist with various orchestras in Chile, including the OSEM, the Chamber Orchestra of the Catholic University of Chile, and the Concepción Symphony Orchestra.

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He is currently studying music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with Eszter Haffner and Maighréad McCrann, and is proud to play an 18th-century violin by Michaelo Angolo. Israel has already participated in various competitions and festivals across Europe and the United States, performing in concert halls and venues in cities such as Lucerne, Bern, Vienna, Tokyo, Bogotá, Budapest, Belgrade, and at renowned festivals including the Davos Festival, Lucerne Festival, and Schleswig-Holstein Festival.
He has received artistic inspiration and guidance from musicians such as Mayumi Seiler, Gerhard Schulz, Eva-Christina Schönweiß, Kurt Nikkanen, Fabio Biondi, Gregory Kalinovsky, and members of the Carmina Quartet and the Jerusalem Quartet.

Viola Innocenti

SWISS

Viola Innocenti, born in Florence in 1999, is a violist active on the international scene. She graduated with distinction in violin from the Fiesole School of Music, before moving to Rotterdam, where she obtained a Master’s degree in Classical Music from Codarts University of the Arts. During her studies, she discovered the viola, an instrument with which she formed a deep bond, and continued her training in the class of Roman Spitzer, principal viola of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

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She has performed as a substitute with orchestras such as the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, the Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, and is active in ensembles such as the Doelenensemble and the Ciconia Consort. In 2022–23, she was an apprentice with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. In April 2025, she recorded a CD with the Metropole Orkest.
Just two months after taking up the viola, she took part in the Musica sull’Acqua Festival, playing with the MACH Orchestra and in chamber ensembles with internationally renowned artists such as Raphael Christ, Ian Bostridge and Diego Matheuz.
She has taken part in international festivals and academies, including the Moritzburg Festival Academy, the Bregenz Festival Academy, the Bergen National Opera Academy and the Ravello Festival. She has attended masterclasses with artists such as Garth Knox, Lawrence Power, Antonello Farulli and Diemut Poppen.

Sebastian Mendoza

COLOMBIA

Sebastian Mendoza was born in Bogotá, where he had his first contact with traditional Colombian music at the Fundación Batuta. Later, he took up the cello, an instrument that has taken him throughout Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Sebastian sees himself above all as an orchestral musician, having received training in this field with renowned ensembles such as the Verbier Festival Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He is currently based in Graz and performs regularly at the local opera house (Opernhaus).

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He graduated with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the Kunstuniversität Graz, where he studied under the guidance of Tobias Stosiek and Julian Arp. In 2022, he did an exchange program in Freiburg (Germany), studying with Jean-Guihen Queyras. As a chamber musician, he has given concerts throughout Europe, Colombia, and Mexico.
He dedicates part of his time to music-educational volunteer work in Latin America and to musical projects featuring Latin American music.

Sicelo Christopher Njapha

SOUTH AFRICA

Sicelo Christopher Njapha graduated with a BMus (Bachelor of Music) degree from Stellenbosch University’s Music Department in 2020, where he studied under the tutelage of Babette Roosenschoon. Chris began his formal cello lessons at the age of 17. Having made unusually fast progress, he participated in European and American masterclasses courses with world renowned cellists David Cohen, Alexander Buzlov, Norman Fischer, Gary Hoffman, Xenia Jankovic, Jerome Pernoo, Thorleif Theeden and Kyril Zlotnikov.

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In 2021, Chris was the ‘young rising star’ performer in the Endler hall concert series.Chris has also worked with the Cape Town as well as the KwaZulu Natal and Mzansi Philharmonic Orchestras. He was also semi-finalist in the UNISA national strings competition in 2021 and competed in the ATKV Instrumental and Edna Elphick cello competitions and was a prize winner. He was the runner up of three finalists of the UCT Strings competition 2023 that appeared on the Strad magazine website. He has also appeared as a soloist with the KZNPO and the CPO as well as the Cape Town youth orchestra and the Stellenbosch University Orchestra. And was chosen to participate in the G20 summit Orchestra as one of four South African representatives in Indonesia. And toured Vietnam with the World Youth Orchestra as well as a European tour with the MIAGI Orchestra, playing in the Elbphilharmonie, the Berlin Konzerthaus and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Chris is currently enrolled as a Masters student in Cello Performance and Career development at the Stella Privathochschule für Musik in Feldkirch, Austria- Under the tutelage of Mathias Johansen.

Alessandro D’Amico

VENEZUELA

Alessandro D’Amico was born in 1986 in Caracas and began his musical studies in 1997 at the local Montalbán music school. From 2002 to 2009 he was a member of the prestigious, internationally recognised Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, where he had the opportunity to work with major conductors such as Giuseppe Sinopoli, Claudio Abbado, Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Heinrich Schiff and Sir Simon Rattle.

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From 2002, Mr D’Amico studied with Gérard Caussé and Rainer Schmidt at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid. He also studied with Peter Langgartner at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, before being admitted to the exclusive Graduate Course for String Quartets in Basel under professors Walter Levin, Günter Pichler and Rainer Schmidt. In 2015 Alessandro completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in viola at the Musikakademie Basel under Professor Silvia Simionescu. He has also taken part in masterclasses given by internationally renowned musicians including Nobuko Imai, Veronika Hagen, Atar Arad, Wolfram Christ, Gérard Caussé, Ralph Gothoni, Rudolf Barshai, Ferenc Rados and Benjamin Zander. He has performed chamber music with artists such as Jörg Widmann, Diemut Poppen, Yura Lee, Dénes Várjon, Alasdair Beatson, Claudio Martinez-Mehner, Anton Kernjak, Anita Leuzinger and Jürg Dähler, among others. Alessandro has also had the opportunity to work with renowned composers such as Helena Winkelman, Heinz Holliger, David Philip Hefti, Martin Jaggi and Iris Szeghy. As guest principal viola, he has performed with several ensembles, including Kammerorchester Basel, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester and Kammerorchester i Tempi. Since the 2022/2023 season he has held the position of principal viola of Camerata Zürich. He is a member of the Merel Quartet, the Opalio Quintet, Camerata Variabile, Ensemble Phoenix Basel and Cappella Andrea Barca. Since 2021 he has taught as assistant in Professor Silvia Simionescu’s class at the Musikakademie Basel. Since 2025 he has also been a viola teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg.

Photo Andrej Grilic

Ambra Senatore

Italy

A performer and choreographer working between Italy and France, Ambra Senatore has worked with Giorgio Rossi, Jean Claude Gallotta, Georges Lavaudant, Marco Baliani, Antonio Tagliarini and, for many years, with Roberto Castello, amongst others. Between 2004 and 2009, she created and performed solos.

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Subsequently, through group works, she developed an approach that blends dance and theatre, playing on the boundaries between reality and fiction. With a direct relationship with the audience, ample scope for playfulness and a balance between lightness and depth in their themes, her creations convey sensitivity and humanity. They are characterised by a refined compositional structure. She creates for the stage and for various venues. At the helm of the Centre Chorégraphique National de Nantes (CCNN) from 2016 to 2025, Ambra Senatore conceives of dance as a means of sharing, mutual discovery and social connection.
Since 2026, she has directed the Compagnie EDA-Ambra Senatore.

Antonio Valentino

ITALY

Antonio Valentino graduated with distinction in piano from the ‘Giuseppe Verdi’ Conservatory in Turin in 1989, receiving the ‘Drago Canepa’ Prize as the best graduate of the year. He went on to specialise in chamber music at the Vienna Conservatory with the Wiener Schubert Trio and at the Duino School with the Trio di Trieste. Since 2012, he has held the chair of Chamber Music at the ‘Giuseppe Verdi’ Conservatory in Turin.

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In 1989, he founded the Trio Debussy, together with violinist Piergiorgio Rosso and cellist Francesca Gosio, the longest-running Italian chamber music ensemble still active today. The Trio won first prize at the ‘Trio di Trieste’ International Competition in 1997 and second prize at the ‘Vittorio Gui’ Competition in Florence in 1995.
Throughout his career, he has performed in hundreds of concerts for the most prestigious Italian and international chamber music institutions. Notable performances include: their debut at the Große Musikvereinssaal in Vienna with Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, Ghedini’s Concerto dell’Albatro with the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia conducted by Jeffrey Tate, Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto with the Orchestra del Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, and complete performances of the chamber works of Mozart, Schubert, Brahms and Beethoven with the Unione Musicale di Torino. He has also collaborated with the Teatro Regio di Torino as part of the Piccolo Regio Laboratorio.
In the recording field, he has recorded the complete works for violin and piano by Prokofiev with Fabrizio von Arx and a CD with the Trio Debussy dedicated to Ravel and Schubert.
Chris is currently enrolled as a Masters student in Cello Performance and Career development at the Stella Privathochschule für Musik in Feldkirch, Austria- Under the tutelage of Mathias Johansen.

Patrizio Serino

ITALY

Born in Rome, he has been since 2011 the first solo cello player of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino orchestra, chosen by Zubin Mehta.

He graduated from the Accademia di S. Cecilia in Rome under the guidance of F. Strano, receiving the Sinopoli Prize and the Cavalierato giovanile della Repubblica for special artistic merits achieved.

Perfected with I. Monighetti in Basel, then with G.Hoffman in Fiesole and M. Brunello, he attended master classes with D. Geringas, E. Dindo, E. Bronzi.

He is a winner of international prizes including the” Trio di Trieste Prize 2001″.

Prolific is his chamber music activity, collaborating with groups such as the Ars trio, the Michelangelo quartet, the Matamoe quartet…

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Born in Rome,he has been since 2011 the first solo cello player of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino orchestra, chosen by Zubin Mehta.

Perfected with I. Monighetti in Basel, then with G.Hoffman in Fiesole and M. Brunello, he attended master classes with D. Geringas, E. Dindo, E. Bronzi.

He is a winner of international prizes including the” Trio di Trieste Prize 2001″.

Prolific is his chamber music activity, collaborating with groups such as the Ars trio, the Michelangelo quartet, the Matamoe quartet, the David piano trio, the latter winner of the Borletti – Buitoni prize in its category.

He performs alongside prestigious soloists, such as J. Rachlin, I. Golan, M. Brunello, C.Hagen, A.Lucchesini, and holds profitable and stable musical collaboration with F. Senese and S. Briatore in various chamber ensembles.

He has recorded for the Altara and Dynamic labels.

He regularly collaborates with the most important Italian orchestras as first Cello, among them La Scala in Milan, S.Cecilia in Rome, Orchestra Mozart.

Devoted to teaching, he is tutor of cello at the Italian Youth Orchestra and for MACH orchestra, within the international festival” Musica sull’ Acqua.”

He has held a fixed-term chair of cello at the Conservatory of Adria in the year 2022 and was recently the winner of the competition for first cello soloist at the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gran Canaria in Spain. He plays a cello ” F. Fasser”, Rogeri copy, ,on kind loan from M. Brunello.

VELASCO VITALI

Italy

Velasco Vitali began his artistic career in Milan, shaped by his encounter with Giovanni Testori. Among his early significant works, Paesaggio Cancellato (1990), dedicated to the Valtellina tragedy, curated by Roberto Tassi. Invited to the Rome Quadrennial in the late nineties, he developed a body of work on Mediterranean ports that led to Isolitudine with Ferdinando Scianna (2000). In 2011 he participated in the Italian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale with Veidrodis.

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The installation Foresta Rossa (2012–2013) was presented at the Triennale di Milano. In 2014 he exhibited Traditio Symboli in Milan Cathedral. In 2015 he was invited to the Berlinale as producer and protagonist of the documentary Il Gesto delle Mani, winner of the FIPRESCI award. In 2024 La Corte di Danimarca entered the permanent collection of the Royal Villa of Monza; the sculpture Sabir was acquired by the Arte Sella sculpture park in Trentino. In 2025 the Giancarlo Vitali Museum opened in Bellano, dedicated to his father, and he created Vela I and II for the Sala del Lucernario at the Quirinale in Rome.

Elijah Daguin

SPAIN

Having spent her childhood and teenage years in the Basque hinterland, Elijah Daguin discovered the harpsichord whilst listening to a Scarlatti sonata in 2012 and fell in love with the instrument. Then aged 14 and with no musical training, she was fortunate enough to be accepted into the Bayonne Regional Conservatoire (CRR), which was trialling a ‘complete beginners’ class that year.

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Moving to Paris in 2013, Elijah joined Elisabeth Joyé’s harpsichord class. After obtaining her baccalaureate, Elijah decided to devote herself to music. Whilst learning the organ with Jean-Paul Imbert at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, Elijah continued her harpsichord training with Elisabeth Joyé and also took lessons with Béatrice Martin and Frédérick Haas. Having completed his specialised studies, Elijah enrolled at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels in 2018 to study organ with Bernard Foccroule and harpsichord with Frédérick Haas. Elijah obtained his bachelor’s degree in harpsichord with distinction in 2021 and is currently taking a break to further his studies with Giovanni Togni in Italy before resuming his master’s degree.

Roberto Di Ronza

Italy

Roberto Di Ronza began his career in leading youth orchestras and, in 1993, was one of the founding members of the Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Orchestra of Milan. He also worked as an assistant conductor with I Pomeriggi Musicali and with the RAI orchestras in Milan and Rome. During his time in Salzburg, he held the position of principal double bass with the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss, with whom he toured Germany, Denmark, Austria, Brazil and Switzerland alongside soloists such as Thomas Quasthoff, Hildegard Behrens and Sergio Azzolini.

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From December 1999 to October 2011, he was second double bassist with the obligation of first at the Münchner Symphoniker, whilst also undertaking intensive teaching work at the orchestra’s academy. Since 2000 he has been principal double bassist of the Münchner Kammerorchester, whilst since 2004 he has been a member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, founded by Claudio Abbado and now conducted by Riccardo Chailly. More recently, he took part in the 2024 European tour of Teodor Currentzis’s Orchestra Utopia and in the production of Castor et Pollux at the Opéra de Paris in 2025. He is currently principal double bassist of the Haydnphilharmonie Eisenstadt, conducted by Enrico Onofri, and collaborates, primarily as principal double bassist, with ensembles such as the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Camerata Salzburg and Mahler Chamber Orchestra, alongside which, since 2018, he has performed with numerous Baroque and pre-classical orchestras such as the Salzburger Hofmusik and Les Musiciens du Prince. His chamber music career is equally intense, featuring collaborations with partners such as the Hagen Quartet, Sol Gabetta, Andreas Ottensamer and Menahem Pressler, and documented by recordings for Decca, Sony and Deutsche Grammophon. Since 2019, he has also been artistic director of the Diabelli Sommer chamber music festival in Mattsee, Salzburg.

Barbara Olearczyk

POLAND

Barbara Olearczyk – a young-generation violist, born in 2002 in Wrocław, Poland. She began her musical education as a violinist at the Karol Szymanowski Music School, where she spent 12 years developing her sensitivity and technical skills. A turning point in her artistic journey was her transition to the viola—a decision that led to rapid development and, just a year later, to winning the “Etiuda” Viola Competition.

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She graduated from the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław, where in 2024 she completed her bachelor’s degree with the highest mark for her diploma recital. Barbara is a recipient of scholarships from both the Academy’s Rector and the Mayor of Wrocław.
She continues to grow as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. In 2024, she performed as a soloist with the Leopoldinum Orchestra of the National Forum of Music in the “But First – the Young” concert series. She also played with the International Lutosławski Youth Orchestra, including a performance in Berlin as part of the Young Euro Classic Festival.
In the 2024/2025 season, she toured China with the Sinfonia Masovia Orchestra. She has also performed in Italy at the MACH Festival (Musica sull’Acqua), as well as during concert tours in France and Switzerland.
Since 2022, she has been a member of the Wroclavia Quartet, actively performing throughout Poland. In May 2025, she appeared with a string quintet at the Lower Silesian Philharmonic in Jelenia Góra. In August 2025, she performed with MACH Ensemble in Lucerne, Switzerland.
In 2026, she was awarded First Prize at the Academic Competition and subsequently received the Grand Prix at the IX National Viola Competition in Wroclaw.
She has taken part in masterclasses led by distinguished violists such as Lawrence Power, Maxim Rysanov, Lech Uszyński, Tomoko Akasaka, Piotr Reichert and Hartmut Rohde. Her playing is marked by musicality, emotional depth, and interpretative maturity.
With passion and dedication, she approaches every project, treating music not only as a profession but as a space for personal expression and dialogue with the world.

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Mariafrancesca Latella

ITALIA

Mariafrancesca Latella graduated with top marks, distinction (cum laude) and honourable mention from the “S. Giacomantonio” Conservatory in Cosenza under the guidance of Maestro Antonio Bifano.

She continued her studies at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna with Alessandro Carbonare. She also studied with Richard Stoltzman, Johannes Peitz, Fabrizio Meloni, Wolfgang Meyer, Vincenzo Mariozzi, Piero Vincenti, Paolo Beltramini and, for piccolo clarinet, Gino Mazzocchitti.

Winner of numerous national and international competitions — including the “Rino Viani” in Carpi, the “G. Tassis” in Pradalunga and the “A. Ponchielli” in Cremona — she was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), performing under conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Herbert Blomstedt. She was also a member of the Academy Orchestra of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach and Jaap van Zweden.

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Over the course of her career she has collaborated with prestigious orchestras, including the ensemble Les Dissonances, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento, the Symphony Orchestra of the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, the Symphony Orchestra of the Arena di Verona, the Orchestra of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, the Mantua Chamber Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, to which she was personally invited by Claudio Abbado in 2012.

In 2018 she won the audition for principal clarinet with the Orchestra della Toscana (ORT) in Florence.

Since 2006 she has been a member of the Orchestra Mozart in Bologna, founded by Claudio Abbado, with which she has also recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi and Accentus Music.

She currently works with the Leonore Orchestra of Pistoia and I Solisti di Pavia as principal clarinet, and with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as section clarinet and piccolo clarinet.

She teaches clarinet at the “Donizetti-Carrara” Politecnico delle Arti in Bergamo.

Photo by Geoffroy Schied

Alejandra Rojas

VENEZUELA

Alejandra Rojas was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where she took part in José Antonio Abreu’s renowned musical education programme “El Sistema.” In 2008 she continued her studies in Spain with Stefano Canuti at the Conservatorio de Música de Aragón, and later in England at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she completed an International Artist Diploma. As a soloist she has performed with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Manchester Camerata, the Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra, the Wirral Symphony Orchestra, and the RNCM Chamber Orchestra. Alejandra has performed at the Tokyo Double Reed Society Convention, the International Bassoon Festival in Rio de Janeiro, the Double Reed Festival in Fiesole, and the Spanish Bassoonists’ and Oboists’ Congress in Barcelona.

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She has also given masterclasses at the Conservatory of Gran Canaria and at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. In terms of orchestral and chamber music activity, she has collaborated with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Human Rights Orchestra, Les Dissonances, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Filarmonica della Scala, and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She currently holds the position of Principal Bassoon with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and teaches Bassoon and Chamber Music at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole.

Christian Guyot

FRANCE

Born in Tangier (Morocco), deaf since birth, he began studying music at the age of twenty and attended courses in jazz drums with Kenny Clarke, classical music with Raymond Chazal and Silvio Gualda and Afro-Cuban music with Miguel Fiannaca.

He holds a degree in Musicology from the University Paris-VIII and is a graduate of the International Percussion Centre ‘Acanthes’. He is also the holder of the first inter-conservatory percussion prize in Paris. In 1974-1976, he produced mime and percussion shows with the famous mime Joël Chalude. From 1985 to 1987, he taught at the National School for Circus Arts in Châlon-sur-Marnes.

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In 1987, he developed a music and percussion workshop for the deaf and hard of hearing at the Conservatoire de Suresnes (France) where he still teaches. He is professor of percussion at the ‘Schola Cantorum’ in Paris and at the Viry-Chatillon Conservatoire. Since 2015, he has been playing in a jazz quintet in Paris. Speaker on the topics ‘music and deafness’ and ‘being deaf and musicians?’ Christian Guyot is currently the only deaf person in the world to perform as a musician and teach percussion in a public conservatoire.

Antonio Garcia Araque

SPAIN

Born in Barcelona, he began his musical studies at the Choir of Montserrat , with which is a soloist . He later entered the Conservatory of his hometown, continuing his studies with Ferrán Sala and getting the highest ratings.

He furthered his studies at the Vienna Hochschule with LUDWIG STREICHER and took courses with FRANCO PETRACCI , RODNEY Slatford and KLAUS STOLL. He is awarded in the Young Performers Competition of the Ministry of Culture.

He is selected in the GENEVA INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION, performing in the Great Hall of the Conservatory of the city…

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He is also awarded at the International Nicanor Zabaleta of BIG VIRTUOSOS, held in San Sebastian.

Toni Garcia Araque , professionally, is part of the ORCHESTRA Gran Teatre del Liceu and then obtained the Bass Soloist seat of the NATIONAL ORCHESTRA OF SPAIN, which he still holds.

He also has performed as a soloist with numerous formations , including SOLISTES CATALAN , SPAIN NATIONAL ORCHESTRA , SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BILBAO , SPAIN NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA , NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ANDORRA , etc. .

He has developed multi chamber music groups, among which the following should be mentioned: FINE ARTS QUARTET , CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA BARCELONA, ANTICS ESCOLANS , MADRID CLASSIC ORCHESTRA , CHAMBER ORCHESTRA QUEEN SOFIA, Cassadó QUARTET , CAMERA XXI , QUARTET ENESCO , QUARTET Arditi with pianists Katia and Maria Labèque …

Roberto Armocida

FRANCE

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Winner of national and international competitions, he performs as a soloist in symphonic orchestras and chamber music ensembles in the most diverse formations.
Since 2003 he collaborates with Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Teatro San Carlo Orchestra in Naples, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, Nuova Orchestra Scarlatti in Naples, Teatro Olimpico Orchestra in Vicenza, Antonio Vivaldi Orchestra,under the direction of internationally renowned conductors such as Yuri Temirkanov, Wayne Marshall, Ennio Morricone, Myung-Whun Chung, Diego Matheuz, Alexander Lonquich, Andrew Grams, George Prêtre, George Pehlivanian, Nicolas Brochot, Antonio Pappano, Alessandro De Marchi, Will Humburg, Michel Plasson , Benjamin Pionnier, Andrea Sanguineti, Nicola Piovani.
He is a member of the MACH Ensemble, alongside musicians such as Raphael Christ, Francesco Senese, Simone Briatore, Patrizio Serino, Johanee Gonzalez, Adam Walker,Nora Cismondi, Andrea Fallico, Fredrik Ekdahl, Tomás Medina, Nabila Chajai, Felix Mendoza. He regularly performs with Louis Lortie, André Gallo, Michail Lifits, Andrea Rebaudengo, Francesco Senese, Benedetta Senese, Anton Dressler, Victor Morosco, Tommaso Lonquich. In November 2021 his new CD “Le Chemin Oublié” was released, recorded with pianist André Gallo and dedicated to French music for saxophone and piano. The album contains the world premiere recording of an unreleased track by André Jolivet. Roberto Armocida is Yanagisawa Artist, Vandoren Paris Artist and KeyLeaves Artist.

Felix Mendoza

VENEZUELA

He studied with well-known teachers such as Peter Sadlo, Jan Schlichte and Rainer Seegers; since 2004 he has been a part of Simon Bolivar Shymphony Orchestra as principal timpanist under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel. With them he has been on tour all over the world , achieving great success.

He has collaborated, among others, with orchestras such as the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, the Mozart Orchestra, the Luxembourg Philarmonic Orchestra, under the direction of conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Daniel Barenboim, Lorin Maazel, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pierre Boulez, Herbert Blomstedt, Krzysztof Penderecki, John Williams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Andris Nelson, Gustavo Gimeno.

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A highly respected composer, he is musical director of Atalaya Percussion Ensemble and a member of the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble and the Big Band Jazz of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.

He also works extensively as a teacher for various institutions and festivals in America and Europe.

Alex Montagna

BRASIL

Alex Montagna began his training at the University of Yoga in Brazil in 2008 and has since pursued numerous specialization courses in meditation, breathing, stress management, and relaxation. He has taught in various schools, businesses, and banks, working with a wide range of individuals, including young people, adults, artists, and athletes. His experience has allowed him to develop a unique and personalized approach to teaching yoga and relaxation techniques.

Maria Chiara Mottarella

ITALY

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Having always been passionate about handmade products, I entered the world of ceramics in 1987; there I discovered the possibility and pleasure of shaping a versatile material such as clay. The path became more and more fascinating, leading to the desire to be able to bake and coat the raw pieces with ‘clothes’ suitable to their different shapes. The meeting with master Daniel de Montmollin has been of great importance; I learnt from him not only the technique and movements of turning, but also the method of calculating and making glazes with raw materials obtained from the area where I live, among others. In 1990, together with my husband, who is as passionate about research as I am, I set up a ceramics atelier in Colico, where we create unique stoneware and porcelain pieces, modelled by hand on the potter’s wheel and coated with glazes that are the result of meticulous analysis and experimentation linked to nature as a source of inspiration. At the same time, under the guidance of master D.de Montmollin, I undertook a pedagogical training through the use of slip: a pedagogical “situation” where the participant is accompanied towards personal awareness and development, to the discovery of the potential of the hand in the freedom of the creative gesture.

Benedetta Senese

ITALY

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Benedetta Senese obtained her Second Level Academic Diploma with full marks and honors at the Conservatorio “S. Pietro a Majella” in Naples under the guidance of Laura De Fusco, then she perfected her studies with Nora Doallo at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. In 2014, she received a Master’s degree in Music Pedagogy in the class of Maestro Sandro D’Onofrio, with a thesis regarding the link between gestures and expressiveness in piano teaching. She played for the season “900 e presente” created by Maestro Giorgio Bernasconi at the Auditorium of the Radio della Svizzera Italiana, under the direction of A. Tamayo. In 2011 she collaborated with the Kaleido Ensemble under the direction of D. Matheuz. In 2019 she plays with MACH Ensemble, a group that is part of MACH Project and Orchestra at the Festival Musica sull’Acqua in Colico. She has collaborated with musicians such as: Gennaro Cardaropoli, Cristophe Morin, Simone Briatore, Patrizio Serino, Ingrid Fliter, Anton Dressler, Francesco Senese, Danusha Waskiewicz, Itamar Golan, David Salleras and Roberto Armocida with whom she performed at the 2018 Mantua Chamber Music Festival. She is an NLP Coach certified by Claudio Belotti’s Extraordinary Coaching School and Richard Bandler’s “Society of NLP,” and she holds seminars and supports musicians as a Mental Trainer and Talent Coach.