Cinzia Pennesi is renowned for her activity as orchestra and choir conductor, pianist and composer in Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece, Romania, Switzerland, Malta and South America. Her expertise as teacher and composer with Sir Neville Marriner in New York has won her a prestigious presence at Carnegie Hall (2001).
She graduated with highest score (first class diploma) in piano, choral music and conduction at ‘F. Morlacchi’ conservatoir of Perugia. She then attended courses and master classes with G. Kuhn and B. Aprea for orchestral direction; G. Acciai, P. Righele for choir conduction; G. Santorsola for composition; J. Demus, A. Lonquich, L. Passacaglia and I. Gage for piano and S. Woodbury for voice studies. She also specialised in composition and analysis with F. Dellipizzi.
In 1993 she founded ‘Orchestra G. Spontini’, which she conducts on a regular basis and with which she recorded numerous CDs and attended prestigious events such as ‘Festival Barocco di Viterbo’ and ‘Stagione della Fondazione Pergolesi’.
The orchestra was ambassador for Italy in the 1996 ‘Cumbre Mundial del Tango’ in Uruguay with bandoneon artist H. U. Passarella. She is Director of ‘Accademia della Libellula-FrauMusika’, focusing on projects of contemporary studies, with a specific angle on women composers. She has been invited to numerous Festivals: ‘Concerti del Tempietto’ in Rome, ‘Amici della Musica’ events all over Italy (Bari, Cosenza, Ancona, etc.), ‘Ente Concerti’ in Pesaro, ‘Cefalonia Festival’ in Greece; and prestigious venues such as ‘Sala Maffeiana’ in Verona, ‘Pergolesi Theatre’ in Jesi, ‘Rossini Theatre’ in Pesaro, ‘Lauro-Rossi Theatre’ in Macerata, ‘Sala Baldini’ in Rome; abroad, ‘Argostoli Theatre’ in Cefalonia (Greece), ‘Marbella Cathedral’ in Spain, ‘Bellinzona Castel’ in Switzerland.
In 1990 Cinzia Pennesi became conductor in residence for ‘Corale Polifonica A. Antonelli’ in Matelica, with which she has been collaborating (concerts, recordings) ever since.
In July 2000 she was commissioned by ‘Macerata Opera’ the re-orchestration of ‘Rappresentazione di Anima et di Corpo’ by Emilio de’ Cavalieri (philological edition completely under her supervision), on the anniversary of its first performance in four hundred years. She has recorded for RAIRADIO-DUE and RAI-INTERNATIONAL, plus KHO. Her collaborations as conductor include ‘Gl’Echi d’Archadia’ orchestra, ‘Florilegio Musicale Barocco’, ‘Orchestra da Camera delle Marche’, ‘Orchestra Sinfonica della Romagna’, ‘Orchestra Sinfonica del Centro Europeo della Musica’, ‘FraMusika’ ensemble, ‘Symphony Orchestra of Solingen’ (Germany). One of her ‘cinematic’ works (‘Il fantasma dell’Opera – The Phantom of the Opera’) has been recently staged at ‘Accademia d’Ungheria – Hungary Academy’ in Rome.
In July 2002 she directed and completely supervised the Italian premiere of ‘La Chatte Metamorphosee en Femme’ (Domenico Carboni Italian adaptation). As a pianist, Cinzia Pennesi is a dedicated performer – together with Laura Pennesi (viola) and Elisabetta Lombardi (mezzosoprano) – of chamber repertoire. They founded in collaboration with Anna Pennesi the research group ‘Accademia della Libellula’. In 1999 she was awarded in Campidoglio (Rome) the ‘Picus del Ver Sacrum’ prize. She also won the ‘Marchigiano dell’anno’ prize.
Since 1995 she is Artistic Director of ‘Piermarini Theatre’ in Matelica; since 1991 of ‘Festival Conosciamo l’Autore’ and the year 2000 marks the start of a collaboration as director of ‘Amici della Musica’ in Fabriano.
Festival edition: October 2004.
 

Ran-Arthur Braun. Before turning to directing and during his post-graduate studies - Ran sang, among others, at the Genova Opera House; Carlo Felice; Auditorium Dijon; Opera D'Avignon; Opera Toulouse; Opera Reims; Besançon; Rennes; Versailles; Palais des Beaux-arts; La Sala Costa; Genova; H.D.K. Berlin; Royal Conservatory The Hague; The Jerusalem Academy and The Jerusalem Theater.
Since 2002/3, Ran has worked primarily as a Fight Choreographer / Assistant Stage Director and Stage Manager, as well as achieving directorial credit on a personal level.
Ran studied at the Opera Studio La Monnaie with Keith Warner, Willy Decker and Christof Loy.
His list of credits includes: Teatro Mancineli, Orvieto; Teatro di Cagli; Amsterdam Opera Studio; Wien Kammeroper; Opera Zuid; Dordrecht Festival; I.V.A.I. (workshop run by the New Israeli Opera, N.Y. Metropolitan Opera); Celebration Barn, Maine; La Monnaie Opera Studio; Flanders Opera Studio,Flanders Opera, Abu Gosh Festival; Jerusalem Festival; Reisopera,Teatro Vercelli, Teatro Nuovo – Torino, Jeugdtheaterhofplein – Rotterdam, Teatro Monte Granara, Cami Hall - NY, Hudson River Theater - NY, The Citadel Theater,Theater Compagnie - Amsterdam, The North Netherlands Theater Company, Schouwburg Roosendaal, Bregenzer Festival and Bemus Festival.
Ran was the first Resident Stage director at the Fight Directors Workshop in Maine, USA. He is also the co-ordinator of the first International Fight Directors Workshop in Amsterdam.
Festival edition: October 2004.
Ran-Arthur Braun: rantenor@hotmail.com.
 

Sigrid T'Hooft, scenic director, gesture and baroque movement. She graduated in Musicology at the University of Leuven (B). She also got a classical ballettraining, took courses in piano & guitar and was active as a choir singer for many years. Ever during her time as a student, she began an intensive early dance study with the most eminent teachers of the moment, and gradually moulded her autodidactical training in fields which were barely institutionalised.
Her specialisation now ranges from dance and dancemusic, to gesture and historical staging practice, from the renaissance to the baroque period. It brought her national and international reputation, as well as a dancer, a teacher, a choreographer, a stage director and as a researcher.
In these fields her most important teachers were: Andrea Francalanci, Angene Feves & Barbara Sparti (renaissance dance), Francine Lancelot, Christine Bayle, Anna Yepes & Irene Ginger (baroque dance), Adriano Sinivia (Commedia dell’Arte), Carles Mas i Garcia (castagnets, Spanish baroquedance), Christine Bayle, Ian Caddy & Margit Legler (gesture).
She’s founder & artistic director of the ensembles Pass’Ostinato (1988) and Fontainebleau (1991) with whom over the years she created many programms, very often under the musical direction of Peter Van Heyghen.
They performed throughout Europe, some of her programms were broadcasted, and her ‘Phalesius’-production was recorded on Vanguard-Classics.
As an invited dancer & actor she played with companies as: LaCaDance Barocktanztheater – Schweiz, Ris & Danceries - Paris, European Early Dance Company – Berlin, L’Autre Pas – Berlin and RenaiDanse - Basel
She worked with musical ensembles as: Hortus Musicus dir. Andres Mustonen -Tallinn, Musica Antiqua dir. Reinhard Goebel -Köln, Les Haulz et les Bas -Basel, Corelli Ensemble – Frankfurt, Collegium Marianum - Prague, and La Petite Bande dir. Sigiswald Kuijken, a.o.
She made choreographies for, or did the staging of: Don Quichote Suite / G.Ph. Telemann, La Liberazione / Fr. Caccini, Hmoll-suite / Bach, Hercules / H. Schmelzer, La Contessa de’ Numi / A. Caldara, La Furba e lo Sciocco / D. Sarro, Dido & Aeneas / Purcell, Nebucadnezar / R. Keiser, Venus and Adonis / J. Blow and on works of Corelli, Rameau, Vivaldi a.o.
Sigrid teaches baroque gesture for singers at the Royal Music Conservatory of The Hague (NL) concentrating in 2004 on the production of ‘Venus & Adonis’ by John Blow, directed by Nigel North. She is regulary invited as a guest teacher for early dance, dancemusic or baroque gesture in the Royal Music Conservatory Brussels (B) and at the International Händel-Academy of Karlsruhe (D).
As freelance teacher she gave many early dance workshops throughout Europe.
She privately coaches young professional baroque singers in adapting gesture to their concertprogramms, and is a regular lecturer at conferences on dance and early opera.
In 2003 she presented to Perspectiv (the Association of Historic Theatres in Europe) a blueprint of “Teseo”, The Esterháza School for Early Opera.
Since 1989 she is a collaborator of the Belgian Broadcasting Company VRT, and since 2000 she produces programms for Klara, the classical radiodivision of VRT.
Sigrid speaks Flemish, French, German and English fluently.
Festival edition: October 2004.
 

Fulvio Delli Pizzi, born on July 5th 1953, has studied composition and electric music under F. Sifonia, G.P. Chiti and R. Bianchini.
In 1977 he attended the International Centre of Annecy (France) for the course of composition and analysis held by O. Greif and in Venice the orchestral conducting course held by C. Zecchi.
In 1979 he completed the perfectioning course in composition at the “Accademia di S. Cecilia”, in Rome, under the guidance of G. Petrassi and F. Donatoni. He completed psychological studies at the University of Rome, graduating with the thesis “Verso una psicoanalisis della musica” (Towards a psychoanalysis of music), the first Italian study into the possibility of reading music in a psychological way.
He has been invited to hold conferences, seminars, masterclasses for many societies, musical associations, university institutions and perfectioning courses in Milan, Imola, Fiesole, Florence, Macerata, Osimo, Fermo, Sulmona, Pescara, Vasto, Agrigento, etc…
His compositions have been played during many festivals and concert seasons (“Incontri Musicali Romani”, ”Festival di Nuovo Consonanza”, RAI, G.A.M.O. – Firenze, S.U. – Milan, “Teatro Manzoni” – Milan, “Teatro Rossini Pesaro”, “Concerti con l’Autore” – Pescara, “Il Coretto” – Bari, “Conservatorio Nacional de Mùsica” – “Città del Messico”, “Heure de musique” – Annecy, Tokyo, U.S., Ankara, etc”) often by noted interpreters of contempory repertoire (R. Fabbriciani, E. Porta, O. Greif, C. Levi-Minzi, Trio di Comor Duo Mondelci Mazzoni, Solisti dell’Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Solisti Aquilani, etc.)
Out of his compositions, Stralci per Adschbeg (in “Aspetti e presenze del Novecento musicale“, Faenza, 1980), Analisi e psicoanalisi nello studio della ‘poietica? (in “Musical grammars and computer analysis”, Olschki, Florence, 1984), La nozione di sistema nella musica contemporanea (in collaboration con M. Ignelzi, for the convention “Musica a fine secolo: compositori tra arte, scienza e società ” Fondation Cini, Venice, 1994), “Musica mentalis – The mind of music (in collaboration with M. Ignelzi and P. Rosato, in proceedings of the International Conference for Music Perception and Cognition”, Liege, 1994), Towards Heterostatical Systems: the twentieth Century Music (in “Les Universaux en musique”, Sorbonne publications, Paris, 1998), Functions and Sense within ‘ad hoc’ Systems (in “Europaeische Zeitschrift fuer Semiotische Studien”, Vienna, 2001), Systems of musical sense (with M. Ignelzi and P. Rosato, “Acta Semiotièa Fennica, Helsinki, 2004).
He has collaborated with the magazine “Eunomio”, “Bequadro”, “Oggi e domani”, “L’Arco”, “Musica e scuola”, “Campus”.
He taught composition at the Conservatoire of Pesaro and analysis at the Conservatoire of Florence.
He was director of the Conservatoire of Fermo from 1979 to 1983.
From 1985 he is given a chair of composition at the Conservatoire of Milan, where he has also been invited to hold the analysis course at the “quinquennio liceale sperimentale” and the two year specialization course for the degree in piano.
Festival Edition: October 2004.
 

Sauro Argalia, was born in 1969, Ancona (Italy). Versatile organist, harpsichord player, pianist, choirmaster, conductor and composer. He studied organ, piano, harpsichord, composition and conducting. He took a diploma as an Organist and Organ Composer in Bologna (1992, "G.B. Martini" Conservatory) and as a Harpsichordist in Pesaro (1996, "G. Rossini" Conservatory) with full marks. He qualified in Sacred Music on behalf of the National Liturgical Office at the Postgraduate Course in Church Music (Co.Per.Li.M). He also attended important Organ and Harpsichord specialization courses.
He improved his knowledge of the harpsichord and other keyboard instruments ("Clavicordo and Fortepiano") under Professor Emilia Fadini at the Milan Music School.
He was awarded a scholarship in 1992 at the XVI National Organ Competition of Noale (Venice) and was given the "ex-aequo" first prize at the III Italian Meeting among harpsichord players of all Italian Conservatories in 1996 organized by the Pesaro "G. Rossini" Conservatory.
He gives regular recitals both as a solo organist-harpsichordist and as a player of instrumental ensemble (playing period instruments, too). Besides performing as a choirmaster, he plays duo harpsichord with Mrs Cipriana Smarandescu. Sauro Argalia is a member and a co-conductor of the "Gl'echi d'Arcadia Ensemble" which he has formed together with the flute player Mr Giorgio Andreani. They are involved in finding unpublished and rarely performed works.
He has recorded two compact disks performing as a "continuo" player and featuring important works by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. He has also recorded some CDs for "Bongiovanni Record Company" of Bologna offering unpublished comic operas by Baldassarre Galuppi as a first recording ("Il mondo della luna", "Il mondo alla roversa, over le donne che comandano", "Il filosofo di campagna") (from a review published in the "CD CLASSICA" music journal in march 1999: "...a new talent, this imaginative performer, Sauro Argalia, harpsichord recitative accompanist...").
His repertoire includes the orchestra concerts for one, two and three harpsichords, played with Italian and foreign orchestras ("G.Spontini" Matelica Orchestra, Ohligser Musikverein 1860, "I Solisti Aquilani" Orchestra).
He regularly conducts the "Franco Raffaelli" Polyphonic Choir in Civitanova Marche and the "Corva" Choir in Porto Sant'Elpidio, besides being the Chorus trainer for the "Armando Antonelli" Polyphonic Choir in Matelica.
He is active in musicological and organ research and has published a work on the organ builder from Fabriano, Camillo Del Chiaro (1821-1871) titled "Camillo Del Chiaro - Organaro in Fabriano". He teaches at the "A. Antonelli" Matelica Music School and at the "A. Toscanini" Music School on behalf of the International Music Institute (I.M.I.) in Civitanova Marche and Porto Sant'Elpidio which he manages.
He plays a Flemish one-keyboard harpsichord, Ruckers copy - early XVII century - that he personally decorated in 1996.
Festival edition: October 2004.
 

Alessandra Bottai, born in Pesaro, took her degree in violin at the Conservatoire of music G. Rossini, with honours, under the tuition of Giulia Benelli.
She then finished the didactical diploma of music still at the Conservatoire G. Rossini in Pesaro and the “abilitazione for musical teaching” (SISS) at the University of Bologna. She attended perfectioning courses with M° D. Zisman, D. Bogdanovich, F. Gulli and E. Cavallo.
Her interest in the repertoire of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, brought her to attend courses in baroque violin with L. O. Santos at the School of music of Fiesole and with Sigiswald Kuijken at the Chigiana Academy of Siena.
She has collaborated with orchestras and chamber groups including: “Orchestra barocca italiana”, “Orchestra barocca di Cremona”, Europa Galante, “Accademia degli Invaghiti”, “Alessandro Stradella Consort”, “Capella di San Giovanni evangelista di Parma”, “Orfei Farnesiani”, “Accademia della libellula”, “Orchestra del festival Rossini di Pesaro”, “Orchestra filarmonica marchegiana”.
She is the violinist in the Rameau Quartet, the ensemble “Echi d’Arcadia” and “La Calandria” with whom she concentrates on often unpublished and un-performed music of the baroque and pre-romantic period.
She has recorded disques for RAI radio and for the recording companies Tactus, Bongiovanni, Velut luna and dynamic.
She teaches violin at the comprehensive Institute P. Volponi in Urbino.
Festival edition: October 2004.
 

Diego Roncalli, born in Rome in 1965, was a student of Vito Vallini at the Conservatoire “F. Morlacchi” in Perugia, where he graduated with honours in 1989. Following this he perfectioned his cello playing under the guidance of Amedeo Baldovino and his chamber music skills with the “Trio di Trieste” at the “Scuola di Musica” of Fiesole and later at the Conservatoire “Rimskij-Korsakov” of Saint- Petersburg with Anatolij P. Nikitin and in London, with William Pleeth.
First cellist in the Young Italian Orchestra 1988 and more recently of the simphony orchestra of Milan of RAI, he continues to play for various chamber groups as well as a soloist in some of the most important centres and most prestigious halls.
He has recorded for various disc labels as well as for radio and television throughout the world. His interpretation of the Sonata Op. 65 and of the Polonaise Op. 3 by Chopin, as well as the trio Op. 8, for the KHO was unanimously acclaimed by international critics (The Strad, Musik & Theater, etc…).
Dedicated to executing pieces on original instruments, he studied under the guidance of Roberto Gini at the “Civica Scuola di Musica” of Milan, the “Ensemble Barocco Italiano”; since 2000 he plays regularly with Concerto Italiano with whom, under the direction of Rinaldo Alessandrini, he is often invited to perform for important associations or major international festivals and intense recordings schedules, that win them unanimous consensus from specialized critics (Diapason d’Or, Gramaphone Award, Premio Abbiati, Choc Musique).
He played for a long time with H. Ulises Passarella, uruguayian “bandoneonista”, famous interpreter of the “rioplatense” Tango.
He plays a Raffaele Fiorini, Bologna 1880 cello. He teaches chamber music at the Conservatoire “L. Perosi” of Campobasso.
Festival edition: October 2004.
 

Elisabetta Lombardi, was born in Pergola (PS). She attended the "G. Rossini" Conservatory in Pesaro and subsequently attained her diploma at the "G. Verdi" Conservatory in Turin with full marks and merit under the guidance of Elio Battaglia. Following this she frequented a three-year singing course at the Pescara Music Academy and she studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with H. Höll and with M. Shirai at the International-Bach-Academy in Stuttgart with J. Beckmann. She won a scholarship at the W. Walton Foundation in Ischia where she participated in a master class with G. Johnson and E. Sams.
She won second prize in the 1993 vocal chamber music competition in Conegliano. In 1999 she won first prize in the "Instruments and the Twentieth Century" competition dedicated to the vocal chamber music of the century; she was a finalist in the Mozart competition held by the CIDIM in 1992 and she represented Italy in the "Cardiff Singer of the World" competition in Great Britain. Her opera debut was at the Regio Theatre in Turin with Humperdinck's "Hänsel and Gretel", playing the part of Hänsel; she then took part in numerous productions among which some of the most significant were: "The Marriage of Figaro" in the rôle of Marcellina at the Lauro Rossi Theatre in Macerata; "Capriccio" by Strauss in the rôle of Clairon held at the Municipal Theatre in Parma; "Madame Butterfly" by Puccini playing the part of Suzuki at the Municipal Theatre in Modena; "Carmen" by Bizet in the rôle of Mercedes at the Pergolesi Theatre in Iesi; "Manon Lescaut" by Puccini in the theatres of Lucca, Pisa and Leghorn, playing the part of a musician; "Amico Fritz" by Mascagni in the rôle of Caterina at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples; "Zanetto" by Mascagni in the rôle of Zanetto at the Torre del Lago Theatre. Furthermore, she participated in the concert rendition of "Arianna in Nasso" by Strauss as composer for the Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra of Milan and at the Municipal Theatre in Bologna. She also performed in "Ermione" by Rossini in the rôle of Cefisa at the Altes Schauspielhaus in Berlin with the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra of Berlin.
She carries out intense concert activities within the field of chamber music and oratorio. She has held numerous concerts in Italy, Germany, Austria and the United States among which: A concert for the Ravenna Festival, the International Piano Festival of Bergamo and Brescia, numerous concerts for the Umbria Music Festival, the September Music of Turin, the Panatenee of Agrigento, the Imola Festival, the San Leo Festival, at the Trinity College of Connecticut (USA), at the Berlin Philharmonic season, in Düsseldorf, Münster, Leverkusen, Cologne, at the Erl (Tirolo) Festival. She participated in a tour of ten concerts with the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento for the rendition of Mozart's "Requiem", with the Tuscany Regional Orchestra for the performance of Haydn's "Creation" in Italy and Austria. She took part in a tour with the Collegium Musicum of Berlin for the performance of Mozart's "Coronation Mass", sang Mendelssohn's "Elias" at Rosenheim with the Stuttgart Philharmonics and, at the Munich Philharmonic, Bach's St. Matthew Passion under the direction of E. zu Guttemberg. Recently, she performed Stravinsky's "Les Noces" at the Arts Festival of Reykjavick and for the Twentieth Century Music Festival in Trento. She has recorded a Coriolan CD of "The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart (Marcellina) and a Bongiovanni CD of Galuppi's "The World Backwards" (Aurora). She has also recorded two CDs with Pergolesi's "Messa Romana", "Stabat Mater" and "Confitebor tibi domine" for the Pergolesi Foundation of Iesi. A CD of the "Messa San Carlo", by Armando Antonelli, a composer from the Marches region of Italy, is shortly to be released.
She has recorded for RAI 1, RAI 3 and BBC television and for the Deutschlandradio of Berlin.
She teaches singing at the established "Pergolesi" Music Institute in Ancona and has held summer master classes in Matelica (MC) for the "Know the Author" Festival of Fabriano during the Friends of Music concert season. At the Malatestiana Academy in Rimini she has prepared students vocally for master classes held by Luciano Pavarotti, Katia Ricciarelli and Mauro Trombetta. She has taken part, as teacher, in a course organized by the Marches regional authorities and sponsored by the European Community for the "musical and variety entertainment heritage in the province of Pesaro" and aimed at the formation and training of cultural operators.
Festival edition: October 2004.
 

Cesarina Compagnoni, born in 1964, graduated in 1987 with full marks at the “G. B. Pergolesi” Conservatory of Fermo (AP), under Master Silvia Santarelli’s guidance. Subsequently she attended the course of chamber music of “Accademia of Imola” (BO), perfecting herself with Masters Cristiano Rossi, Piernarciso Masi, Bruno Canino and S. Fiorentino.
Winner of important national and international competitions (Velletri, Osimo, Stresa, Capri, Taranto, Asti, Palmi, Macugnaga, Acquiterme, etc), she has been improving for more than ten years the cameristico and liederistico repertorio.
From 1991 she’s also cooperating as Master stage pianist to several lyric productions at: “Arena Sferisterio” of Macerata, ”Gentile” Theatre of Fabriano, “Arena dl Sole” of Bologna, ”Regio” Theatre of Parma, National Theatre of Praga and ”Sala Verdi” of Milan.
From 1992 she’s member of Montegridolfo Accademy, founded and directed by Master Gustav Kuhn.
In 1994 she attended the courses held by Master H. Holl, pianist of the baritone Ficher Dieskau, on the liederistic production of R. Schumann at the Mozarteum of Salisburg.
From 1994 to 1998 she worked together with the baritone Sesto Bruscantini, taking care among others, in preparation of A. Antoniozzi, R. De Candia, R. Servile and B. De Simone.
From 1997 to 2002 she cooperated as master stage pianist to several productions of the “Compagnia della Rancia” directed by Saverio Marconi.
Festival edition: October 2004.