Jury
The international jury will meet in Grosseto on May 2 and 3, 2026, at the Teatro degli Industri in Via Mazzini 99.
On the first day, after having previously selected an appropriate number of Semi-finalists who will be notified at least one month in advance, the jury will identify the finalist pieces, not exceeding 6, through an independent and anonymous evaluation by each juror, followed by a collective assessment.
The resulting ranking will determine the final standings that will be communicated to the participants via email and published on the Competition’s social media pages (obviously, the selected composers may attend the Gala evening on May 3 at 6 PM, but it is not mandatory)
The Jury will consist of:
Ada Gentile, Chairman
Philip Cashian
Ivana Francisci
Tõnu Kõrvits
José María Sánchez-Verdú
Paolo Tortiglione
Francesco Traversi
Ada Gentile
Ada Gentile graduated with honors in piano and composition from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, under the guidance of Irma Ravinale. From 1976 to 1977, she attended the Advanced Course in Composition at the Santa Cecilia Academy with Goffredo Petrassi. She has won numerous national and international composition competitions (Gaudeamus in Amsterdam in 1982, I.S.C.M. in Budapest in 1986, and Essen in 1995, etc.) and her works have been performed throughout the world in prestigious venues such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Ferenc Liszt Academy in Budapest, the Academy of Music in Krakow, the Teatro “La Fenice” in Venice, the Sejong Center in Seoul, the “Parco della Musica” in Rome, etc. She has received numerous commissions from the RAI Orchestras of Milan, Rome, and Naples, from the French Ministry of Culture, the Munich Biennale, and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. In 1999, she organized the first edition of the “CONCERTS AT THE QUIRINALE”, introducing the Cappella Paolina to the general public, where excellent musicians performed in the Sunday morning concerts. In 2000, she was commissioned a work for choir, orchestra and narrator (“Cantata per la pace”), which was performed as a world premiere in Rome, at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli, on December 30, 2000, at the closing of the “Concerts for the Great Jubilee”, with the narrator Arnoldo Foà and repeated in Brasilia, St. Petersburg, Ascoli Piceno, Beijing, Kiev, New York, Taipei and Seoul. She has given lectures in important American institutions (Columbia University, Julliard School, Manhattan School of Music, North Western University of Chicago, Haverford College of Philadelphia etc.) and European institutions (Madrid, Lisbon, Vienna, Strasbourg, Krakow, Budapest, Jerusalem, Haifa, Stockholm, Prague, Vilnius, Belgrade, Copenhagen, Istanbul, etc.) as well as at the Conservatories of Beijing, Shanghai and the Academy of Performing Arts in Hong Kong. From 2000 to 2004, she organized a “Review of Contemporary Italian Music” in BEIJING for the Italian Cultural Institute, with top-level performers, achieving resounding success. She has written approximately 110 works (published by Casa Ricordi, Raitrade and Sconfinarte) for solo instruments, for chamber groups, for orchestra and for chamber theatre. Many of these works have been recorded on CDs by RICORDI, BMG-Ariola, “STRADIVARIUS”, EDT of Turin, the Swiss TIRRENO, the Canadian UNMUS and RAITRADE. Some of his works have been broadcast by Italian Radio (RadioTre), Magyar Radio, Radio France, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Netherlands Radio, Radio Television of Belgrade, Radio della Svizzera Italiana, Radio Israeli, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Portuguese and Spanish. In 1988 she was awarded the honor “For Merit of Polish Culture”. She was a Councilor of the Venice BIENNALE (from ’93 to ’97), Artistic Director of the Teatro Lirico V. Basso in Ascoli, Vice Director of the Conservatory of S. Cecilia in Rome for 7 years and, since 1978, she has been Artistic Director of the Festival of Contemporary Music “Nuovi Spazi Musicali”. Among her works we remember “Ho scritto una canzone”, for strings, commissioned for the 80th birthday of Ennio Morricone and performed on 3/12/08 at the Parco della Musica in Rome by the “Roma Sinfonietta” Orchestra and “Un’ansia di pace”, for orchestra, choir and narrator (text by S. Quasimodo and I. Manni) performed as a world premiere in the Concattedrale of Taranto in February 2009 by the Orchestra della Magna Grecia conducted by Lorenzo Fico, with Alessandro Quasimodo as narrator, and performed again in Rome, Recanati, Ascoli Piceno, Sansepolcro, and San Leo. In November 2015, at the Teatro Nacional in Havana, the “Orquesta Nacional de Cuba” conducted by Guido Lopez Gavilan performed his piece “D’improvviso un giorno” in the opening concert of the “Festival de L’Habana. In 2017, her work “Ombre e Luci” was premiered in MOSCOW, at the “Rachmaninov Concert Hall”, by the “Studio of New Music” ensemble directed by Igor Dronov. In June 2017, she was awarded the honor of “Cavaliere al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” on the initiative of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (Gentiloni). In January 2023, she was appointed Vice President of the “Fondazione Ascoli Cultura” which will be responsible for managing the city’s cultural events. On March 17, 2023, the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra performed her piece “Movimento per orchestra” commissioned in June 2022 at the Politeama Theater in Palermo, while in January 2024, the Lecce Symphony Orchestra directed by Paolo Lepore performed another of her pieces entitled “Un ricordo” in Lecce, Bari and Rome. February 2024 the Superintendent of the Petruzzelli Theatre in Bari has commissioned them a piece for orchestra has been composed which will be performed in the Theatre in spring 2026.
Philip Cashian
Philip Cashian was born in Manchester in 1963. His fast-paced style of music has been described as “an uncompromising reflection of the modern world.” A student of Oliver Knussen and Simon Bainbridge at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and later Lukas Foss at Tanglewood, Cashian writes music that often juxtaposes mechanistic rhythmic cells with luminous, rich harmony, giving his works both drive and volatility. Pieces such as his Concerto for Cello and Strings (2012) and The House of Night (2002) reveal his affinity for tight motivic working, while his piano concerto The Book of Ingenious Devices (2016) demonstrates a larger-scale architectural grasp, infused with lyricism, stasis, and raw energy. His music has been widely commissioned and performed, both in the UK and internationally. Performances include the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Riga Sinfonietta, Ensemble Profil (Romania), Arctic Philharmonic, the Esprit Orchestra (Toronto), Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, London Sinfonietta, Ergon Ensemble (Athens), Festival de Música de Alicante, Bergen Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Ojai Festival (California), Musikmonat (Basle), Moscow Autumn Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Spitalfields Festival, Festival de Música de Canarias, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and the BBC Proms. Cashian’s catalogue is broad, ranging from orchestral and chamber works to solo, vocal, and stage music. His opera The Cumnor Affair (2008), with a libretto by Iain Pears, demonstrated his flair for character and dramatic structure. Key works include Nightmaze (1991), Chamber Concerto (1995), Three Pieces (2004), Piano Concerto (2006), Relay (2022), and Kink (2023). A hallmark of his style is rhythmic momentum, often contrasted with passages of spacious harmonic stasis. His music unfolds in tightly woven patterns, punctuated by bursts of lyricism and striking instrumental colour. Influences range from poetry to landscape and the visual arts— particularly mid-twentieth century British abstract painting—yet his sound world always feels physical and immediate. Since 2007, Cashian has been Head of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he has mentored a new generation of composers, championing individuality over adherence to style or school. He also writes for young and amateur musicians, contributing to the ABRSM’s Spectrum series and affirming his belief that contemporary music should be accessible at every level. He is published by Composers Edition and Wise Music. Recordings of his work include two portrait discs, The House of Night and Dark Inventions, on the NMC label.
Ivana Francisci
Ivana Francisci, graduated in piano, harpsichord, and composition at the Conservatories of Pescara and L’Aquila, as well as at the École Internationale de Piano in Lausanne and the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique in Geneva.She has performed across five continents, appearing at institutions and venues such as the Royal Academy of Music in London, RAI in Rome, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Blackheath in London, AGIMUS, the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the University of Oxford, the University of Ottawa, Palácio das Artes in Belo Horizonte, the Royal University of Melbourne, the Istituto dell’Orefice and Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Wiener Summer Festival, Heiligenkreuz, the Ravello Festival, the Albacete Summer Concert, Illinois State University, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, the Museo del ’900 in Milan, Hailuodon Musiikkipäivät in Finland, and the Greek National Opera in Athens. She recently completed a concert tour in South Korea, performing the complete versions of La Bohème and Rigoletto in collaboration with the Korean television network CBS, in major national theatres: Seoul (Lotte Concert Hall), Busan (Ha Neul Yeon Theater of the Busan Film Center), Pohang (Hyoja Art Hall), and Gangwon. She has accompanied distinguished musicians such as Vincenzo Mariozzi, Bruno Incagnoli, Antony Pay, Maxence Larrieu, Angelo Persichilli, Susanna Rigacci (with whom she has maintained a close artistic partnership for over ten years), Gabriel Suovanen, and Norma Fantini. She has also taken part in RAI radio broadcasts (RadioTre, “La Barcaccia”) as pianist alongside renowned artists including Fiorenza Cossotto, Paolo Coni, Giuseppe Taddei, and Silvano Carroli, and has performed for the Concerts at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, broadcast live on Rai RadioTre and Euradio. As répétiteur, she has collaborated with internationally acclaimed conductors and stage directors such as Enrico Stinchelli, Aldo Tarabella, Manu Lalli, Renato Bonajuto, Antonio Paloscia, Enzo De Caro, and Vanessa Gravina. As a composer, she has written symphonic works, operas, solo piano pieces, and chamber music compositions. She has made numerous recordings. She is Conservatory professor, currently holds the Chair of Score Reading at the Conservatorio “Bonporti” of Trento and Riva del Garda.
Tõnu Kõrvits
Tõnu Kõrvits is a rising star of Estonian contemporary music, more and more frequently performed in Estonia and foreign countries. Beside Veljo Tormis’ shamanistic spells, Erkki-Sven Tüür’s energetic explosions and Arvo Pärt’s religious contemplations, Kõrvits’ sound world stands out as highly poetic, full of visionary fantasies. His music carries the listener along on hypnotic journeys through the landscapes of nature and folk tradition, human soul and subconscious. Calm but suggestive melodies in his works are integrated into rich and refined spectrum of harmony and timbre colours. Figurative titles often reflect romantic allegories or mythological imagery: The Detached Bridge; For You, the Messenger of Night; To My Spiritual Brother; The Sign of Love; River of Gratitude; Eldorado; The Blue Gate, etc. In last decade, Estonian folk song and sometimes also other archaic and exotic song traditions have become important as a substance and source of inspiration for the composer.
Tõnu Kõrvits graduated from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre’s composition department with Raimo Kangro in 1994 and continued in master’s studies with Jaan Rääts. During the studies he also participated in master courses for young arrangers with the Metropole Orchestra and conductor Vince Mendoza (Hilversum, Holland, 1997) and in the master class of composer Stephen Montague (Gdansk, Poland, 1998). Since 2001, he is a lecturer of composition and instrumentation at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (professor since 2017). Kõrvits’ plentiful oeuvre includes all traditional genres from orchestral music, instrumental ensembles and works for solo instruments to choral music, solo songs and operas. He started composing in 1990s with works in neo-romantic style including To a Man, In Whose Eyes the Brightness of Polaris Sparkled (1993) for chamber orchestra, Long-Lasting Farewell (1993) for guitar and piano, Rainbird’s Home (1996) for instrumental ensemble, To My Spiritual Brother (1996) for alto flute and guitar, and others. One of the most popular works of this period is the Concerto semplice (1992) for guitar and chamber orchestra. Over time, Kõrvits’ music moved toward more complex textures. Instrumental in this transformation was The Detached Bridge for saxophone quartet and chamber orchestra (1998), inspired by the lyrics of Anna Akhmatova. In the first half of the 2000nds, orchestral works with elaborated and fluid sound canvas were composed, such as The Sign of Love (2002) and Eldorado (2002, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem). Next orchestral work, The Songs of Survivors (2004) for symphony orchestra interweaved Oriental melodic inflections with Estonian folk melodies. Synthesis of archaic and exotic melodies with subtle colouring and harmonic texture is also characteristic to Kõrvits’ following works – In These Gardens (2004) for alto saxophone and string orchestra, inspired by lyrics of Astride Ivask and bird songs and comprising an Estonian folk tune, the oriental-coloured Safra (2005) for piano and string orchestra, and Tsirgutii (Milky Way, 2005) for flute and string orchestra. In 2000nds, Kõrvits has also composed a series of works reflecting the imagery of the mythical northern land Thule, an archaic prototype of Estonia – such as The Songs from Thule (2002) for flute and piano, and The Songs from Thule II (2004) for trumpet and piano, Pictures of Thule (2006) for piano, Elegies of Thule (2007) for string orchestra, string quartet Thule Patterns (2007), Chorales of Thule (2008) for soprano saxophone and organ, Sketches of Thule (2008) for saxophone quartet and organ, and Helios Helios (2008) for 2 cellos and symphony orchestra. Most of these works are characterized by significant role of Estonian folk song and mythological subtexts. Kõrvits’ poetic idiom has achieved extreme power of expression in his chamber operas My Swans, My Thoughts (2005, libretto by Maarja Kangro after Estonian poetess Marie Heiberg) and Firegarden (2006, libretto by Maarja Kangro). His excellent melodic gift is evident in his numerous and popular works for solo instruments. Last years the composer has been moreover focused on vocal and choral music being still inspired by Estonian and Northern traditional culture. He has composed some remarkable works including Kreek’s Notebook (2007) for mixed choir and string orchestra, based on Estonian sacred folk tunes (collected by noted Estonian choral composer Cyrillus Kreek) and Hymns from the Western Coast (2009) for mixed choir and saxophone quartet, based on Estonian-Swedish folk chorales. In addition to writing contemporary compositions in the classical idiom, Tõnu Kõrvits is known as an accomplished arranger and orchestrator of popular music. He was a nominee for the Estonian Music Award ’98 in the Best Arranger category. He also has composed soundtracks for documentaries, puppet and animation films; the most popular of the last is Priit Tender’s film Viola, which has won several international prizes. Mati Laas’ puppet film Kings of the Time was named the best Estonian film of 2008. Besides Estonian festivals (NYYD Festival, Estonian Music Days, Estonian Composers’ Festival etc), music of Tõnu Kõrvits has been performed at several festivals including ArtGenda (Copenhagen, Denmark, 1996, Rainbird`s Home), Usedomer Musikfestival (Germany, 1999), Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival (Austria, 1999, For You, the Messenger of Night, commissioned by the festival), World Saxophone Congress (Montreal, Canada, 2000, Assignation), Europamusicale (Germany, 2004, Afterglow), Musica nos unit (Gdansk, Poland, 2004, Wildflower; premiere of Wild Birds), Mänttä Music Festival (Finland, 2005, Safra, commissioned by the festival), International Guitar Festival Münster (Germany, 2006, The Songs on the Bridge of Encounters, commissioned by the festival), World Music Days (Hong Kong/Macau, 2007, Beyond the Solar Fields), Cellissimo (Adelaide, Australia, 2008, Helios Helios, commissioned by the festival), Lux Musicae (Siunto, Finland, 2009, Voice that Disappeared, commissioned by the festival), Les Boreales (Caen, France, 2009, music for Carl Dreyer’s silent feature film La Passion selon Jeanne d’Arc), World New Music Days (Zagreb, Croatia, 2011, Canon) and International Music Festival “The Seasons” (Moscow, Russia, 2011, Safra). In 1994, Tõnu Kõrvits’ Concerto Semplice for guitar and chamber orchestra was chosen to represent Estonia at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris. The Sign of Love for symphony orchestra participated at Rostrum in Vienna, 2003. The Days of Glory for two orchestras and percussion represented Estonia in the Millennium Project of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). In 2010, Baltic Elegies for choir and bassoon was premiered by the Bellingham Chamber Chorale and bassoon soloist Martin Kuuskman under the conduction of Timothy Fitzpatrick in Bellingham, U.S. as a commission of the choir. In 2011, Sung into the Wind received a splendid performance at the studio concert of the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Järvi. In the same year, Hymns to the Nordic Lights was commissioned by NYYD Festival and premiered by Britten Sinfonia under the conduction of James MacMillan in Tallinn. Kõrvits’s “Songs of Song of Songs” was chosen to represent Estonia at the World Music Days in Vancouver in 2017. Kõrvits’ works belong to the repertoire of the most important Estonian orchestras and artists including Estonian State Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Sinfonietta, Nyyd Ensemble, saxophone quartet SaxEst, conductors Neeme Järvi, Olari Elts, Anu Tali, Tõnu Kaljuste, Risto Joost, Arvo Volmer, Paul Mägi, Vello Pähn, Lilyan Kaiv and Erki Pehk, pianists Mihkel Poll, Age Juurikas and Marko Martin, organist Ulla Krigul, saxophonist Virgo Veldi, bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann, flutist Monika Mattiesen, soprano Iris Oja, etc. In 2003/2004 concert season, Kõrvits was a composer-in-residence with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Kõrvits’ music has also been performed by numerous foreign artists and collectives, such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Macao Symphony Orchestra, Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Krasnoyarsk Symphony Orchestra, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck, “The Seasons” Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Ohio Northern University Symphony Orchestra, Ferenz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of Malmö Music Academy, St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra Vilnius, St. Michel Strings (Finland), mixed choir Cantemus (Hungary), Swedish Radio Choir, Bellingham Chamber Chorale (USA), conductors Vladislav Bulakhov, Neil Thomson, Donatas Katkus and Esä Heikkila, choral conductors Timothy Fitzpatrick and Lloyd Butler, Ensemble de Basse-Normandie, EU Saxophone Orchestra, Amstel Saxophone Quartet, Firebird Ensemble, guitarists Reinbert Evers and Klaus Jäckle, mezzo soprano Orna Arania, pianists Takahiro Akiba and Niklas Pokki, violinist Manfred Gräsbeck, cellist Anja Lechner, mandolinist Alison Stephens and many other musicians and collectives. As a talented and prolific creator, Tõnu Kõrvits has gained recognition from the Estonian state and cultural institutions a number of times. He was awarded the Heino Eller Music Prize in 2001, the Young Artist Prize by the Board of the President’s Cultural Foundation in 2002, the Annual Prize of the Endowment for Music of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia in 2004 and 2014 and the Annual Prize of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia in 2020. Kõrvits’ symphonic work Eldorado won the Third Prize at the International Lepo Sumera Composition Contest for Young Composers in Tallinn in 2003. In 2006 he received Cultural Endowment’s Live and Shine grant, in 2007 was awarded the Annual Music Prize of the Estonian Music Council for his contribution to Estonian orchestral music, in 2011 and 2016, the Cultural Prize of the Republic of Estonia and in 2014, Prize of the Estonian Music Days Festival 2013. Tõnu Kõrvits was recognised by Estonian Choral Association as the Choir Composer of the Year 2014 and 2021, Estonian Public Broadcasting chose Kõrvits as the Musician of the Year 2015. Composer’s CD “Moorland Elegies” was given the Estonian Music Award in the category of Classical Album of the Year 2017. Since 2015, Tõnu Kõrvits is an honorary citizen of Clarksdale Mississippi for his music through which he has brought honor to Clarksdale, The Delta and to the preservation of the Blues. In 2016, Kõrvits was given the Order of the White Star 3rd Class. In 2018, Tõnu Kõrvits was given the Lepo Sumera Award for Composition. Tõnu Kõrvits’ music for the film “Driving Mom” (“Á Ferð með Mömmu”, director Hilmar Oddsson) won The Best Original Score prize at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) in 2022 and the the Edda Award of Icelandic Film and Television Academy in 2024. Text © EMIC 2011 link Photo Wikipedia – © Ave Maria Mõistlik link
José María Sánchez-Verdú
José María Sánchez-Verdú is a composer educated at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música in Madrid, the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main, and other European institutions (Accademia Chigiana in Siena, IRCAM in Paris, etc.). He holds a degree in Law from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and an International Doctorate cum laude from the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid. He is Honorarprofessor für Komposition at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf and, since 2019, Professor of Composition at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música in Madrid. He is a full member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid and of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes in Cádiz.
His extensive catalogue encompasses orchestral music, chamber music, opera, musical theatre, and interdisciplinary projects involving installations, architecture, or light as creative dramaturgies. His stage works have been programmed at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Berlin, Münchener Biennale, the Venice Biennale, Teatro Real in Madrid, Teatro de la Zarzuela, Palau de les Arts Valencia, Luzerner Theater, Salzburg Biennale, Musica Viva (Munich), ECLAT Stuttgart, Ultraschall Berlin, Wien Modern, Lincoln Center (New York), Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and others.
Sánchez-Verdú has been invited to teach at institutions such as the Sibelius Academy, Mozarteum Salzburg, the conservatories in Munich, Bremen, Nuremberg, and Dresden, Universität der Künste (Berlin), Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, Conservatorio G. Verdi in Milan, the universities of Bern, Basel, and Zurich, the Internationale Ensemble Modern Academy Frankfurt, the Universidad de La Serena (Chile), Hanyang University Seoul, and others. He is the author of numerous articles and essays. In 2024 he published the book Detrás del espejo. Aproximación al concepto de repetición en un pensamiento artístico interdisciplinar (RABASF, 2024).
His awards include the 1st Prize of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (Frankfurt), the 1st Prize of the INAEM–Colegio de España in Paris, the Irino Prize (Tokyo), the Förderpreis of the Siemens-Stiftung (Munich), the Bergische Biennale Prize (Wuppertal), the Culture Prize of the Bavarian Government, the National Music Prize, the Honorary Prize of the Semana de Música Religiosa de Cuenca, the Antara Prize (Lima), the Ibn Arabi Prize, and others. He has been composer in residence at numerous festivals in Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Peru, and Poland, including the Carinthischer Sommer Festival (Austria, 2005), the Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical (2014–2015), the Dresden Philharmonic (2015–2016), and the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada (2024). His compositions are published by Breitkopf & Härtel.
As a conductor, he has worked at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Mainz Opera, Teatro Real, Teatro de la Zarzuela, the Venice Biennale, Ultraschall Berlin, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Radio Brussels, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Queen Elizabeth Hall Antwerp, Teatro Goldoni in Venice, the Warsaw Autumn Festival, Salzburg Biennale, Auditorio Nacional, and others, with ensembles such as the SWR Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Mainz, National Orchestra of Montevideo, National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica, Orquesta Carlos Chávez (Mexico), Galicia Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, Navarra Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik, KNM, Ensemble Mosaik Berlin, Grupo Enigma, Barcelona 216, Grup Instrumental de Valencia, and more.
© Fotografía – Julio Jaime
Paolo Tortiglione
Paolo Tortiglione, is an Italian composer, musicologist and IT certified professor, chair of Armony-Counterpoint-Fugue and Composition and Music Analysis at Napoli’s Conservatory of Music “San Pietro a Majella”, whose works and Film music have been performed in the most important contemporary music festival such as: Athens (Olympia International Festival), Seattle (Esoterics Spectra Festival) Bston ALEA III Contemporary Music Festival, Sacramento (Contemporary Brass Festival), Grenoble Institute, Naples Contemporary Music Festival, Assisi Festival, British Music Information Center, Milan’s Pomeriggi Musicali, Stockholm & Uttersberg (X° Electroacustic Music Festival), Athens National Gallery, Milan theatre Elfo Porta Romana and San Lorenzo alle Colonne, Rome Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, Edinburgh University Contemporary Music Festival, Miami University, Iowa State University, Musica Duemila, Sweden Vaxjo Media Artes Festival, Rome Ensemble Musica Oggi, Gorizia Festival, Sofia Musica Nova, Rome Festival Nuova Consonanza, Milano Triennale, NED Ensemble, Orchestra Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian Cultural Institute of Tokyo, Latina Forme del Suono, Cemat Foundation, Bogotà University of Music, Eisenstadt Conservatory of Music etc.
These have been broadcast by the Second Channel of Swedish Radio, first Channel of Greek Radio, Italian RAI Radio3, Radio Seattle, Swiss Radio Second Channel, TV satellite.
His works, several times awarded worldwide with many first prizes in several national and international composition prizes (such as Athens III Olympia Composition prize, Boston Alea III, Prague Jihlava International, Trieste II Organ Composition Prize, etc.), include pieces for solo instruments, Video Art, solo Organ, Orchestra, Oratorio, Ballet, Theatre, Film, advertising, Chamber music for various ensembles and Electronic Music. He has also worked for a long time as film, ballet and theatre/stage music composer and taught dozen of music technology and Computer Science master classes in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Olso, Stockholm, Geneva, Lausanne, Zurich, Abu Dhabi, New Delhi, Dubai, New York, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Wien, Brno, Prague, Helsinki, Budapest, Manchester, London, Leeds, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Poznan, Bogotà, Bruxelles, etc.
Paolo graduated with 4 degrees in Composition, Organ, Electronic Music, and Choral Conducting and Composition with PhD in Composition at Rome’s Accademia Santa Cecilia. He studied Composition with Azio Corghi, Organ with Arturo Sacchetti, Piano, Choir and Band conducting, Sacred Polyphony and Electronic starting at Naples Conservatory of Music and then in Milan. During the years he moved in Rome to complete the degree in Musical Paleography and Semiography also being for 25 years church organist. After following the Electronic Music course with Alvise Vidolin at Venice Conservatory, the experience with Azio Corghi has been the most important for his creativity: the very long time of the relationship with him started early in 1987 and finished in 1996 with the Santa Cecilia PhD in Composition (Rome).
Since he was deeply interested in the artistic implication of modern scientific theories he also studied Computer Sciences and for a very long time, he was a freelance teacher and a worldwide consultant of large internet computer-networks and multimedia broadcast low-level systems for distributing music via Internet. Starting from 1996 he is working for IBM as senior trainer achieving, as SME, 16 IBM certifications and more than 37 Credly badges
As theorist and journalist, he has published more than 120 articles about computer music programming, mathematics, music theory, film music, music notations, music analysis, etc., and has conducted over 70 broadcasts for RAI Radio 3.
He has published also several books and articles for Ricordi, DeAgostini, Berben, Rugginenti, Volontè, Curci, Davinci-Edition. His book in 4 languages, Semiography and Semiology of Contemporary Music (ISBN: 9788876656163), The text has been adopted by dozens of universities and conservatories. Recently, he has also worked for Treccani on the Dizionario della Musica del Novecento.
After teaching for decades at Milan’s Conservatory of Music (Composition, Applied Music for Film, VideoGame, Stage, Animation), currently he is full tenure track professor of Composition and Music Analysis, back at Naples’s Conservatory of Music San Pietro a Majella where he started his music childhood.
Francesco Traversi
Francesco Traversi Trained in the world of classical European modernism and having mastered the new languages and current technologies, Traversi composes works that move freely between the new contemporary codes, combining complexity and technical virtuosity with rhythmic and melodic innovations, without forgetting the teachings of the great composers of the 20th century. His style, building upon a solid academic foundation, does not hide strong connections with mathematics, painting and above all architecture: in the continuous search for new musical “textures” also through the use of a sophisticated orchestration which is counterbalanced by the tendency to a certain post-romantic lyricism governed however by lucid intelligibility. Having started studying piano in Siena, after obtaining his high school diploma he moved to Florence where he continued his musical studies at the “L. Cherubini” State Music Conservatory. The fervent cultural environment of those years (he also obtained a Master’s Degree in Architecture) and the decisive contact in international courses, seminars and academic contexts with musicians of the caliber of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Xenakis and Berio were decisive for the maturation of his own compositional language. After graduating with honors, he enriches his cultural background by attending courses and seminars of high musical improvement. He studied Jazz in the courses held by Berklee University in Boston (R. Santisi, L. Monroe, G. Tommaso), music for cinema in the courses organized from the Chigiana Academy of Siena under the guidance of Ennio Morricone and Nicola Piovani, Choral Conducting with M° Morelli, Electronic Music in Padova with Dr. Stroppa, Orchestra Conducting with M° S. Trasimeni (Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra-Korea) and M° J. Perez Gomez (Music University of New Mexico – USA). Since 1999 he has constantly collaborated both as Conductor and as a Composer with various Italian and international orchestras and choirs. In 2001 he made his debut in Opera during the 65th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with a commission from the Florence Opera Theater, in collaboration with the Music Conservatory and the Academy of Fine Arts. He was appointed “composer in residence” from 2003 to 2010 at the “Santa Fiora International Festival” which annually commissioned new works for different ensembles and orchestras. Since 2006 he has been Artistic Director of the “BolsenArte Festival” and since 2007 he has been Principal Conductor of the “Ladies Italian Chamber Orchestra” (L.I.C.O.). In the 2021/22 season he also conducts the well-known Ameria Music Festival and the Teatro Sociale di Amelia (TR). He has distinguished himself in several national and international competitions, receiving awards, mentions and recognitions such as, to name a few, the Special Prize 2004 at the “Modern International Composition Competition” in Dublin and the 2nd prize at the International Contemporary Composition Competition “Alice Bel Colle” 2005, 1st Prize at the 13th National Competition “La Bacchetta d’Oro” in Rome, the “Global Music Award” USA 2016 as best composer, Honorable Mention at the “Maurice Ravel” Composition Competition, “Aldobrandesco d’Oro” Award, “Premio Rotondi” Mention and “Guido d’Arezzo” Music Award for artistic and cultural merits. In 2008, for his “Missa Solemnis Codex Amiatinus” he received a special commendation from Pope Benedict XVI. In 2009, the MiBAC, Legambiente and ICOM commissioned a symphonic work performed at the closing of the G8 Summit in L’Aquila in the presence of many personalities from the world of international politics and culture. In 2010 he was chosen to orchestrate some unpublished arias by Giacomo Puccini presented in world premiere during the eminent Festival in Barga di Lucca. From 2004 to 2011 he was co-founder and Principal Conductor of the Arcadia Wind Orchestra with which he won important awards and participated in the First Category in the prestigious International Competition for Wind Orchestra “Il Flicorno d’Oro”. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy, he was commissioned to create a popular opera with over one hundred participants, which was staged with enormous success during the well-known Bruscello di Montepulciano (SI). In his career he has composed mainly chamber music, sacred music, symphonic music, stage music, pieces for solo instruments, string quartets, pieces for orchestra, symphonic poems, operas, scenic pictures for voices and orchestra, pieces for choir and for young performers, as well as arrangements, transcriptions, band orchestrations, but also music for images, experimental, electronic, rock, new age and light music for over 150 titles. His major works have been programmed by various theatres and ensembles in Europe, as well as in the United States and published, also on CD, by labels such as Wichy Music, Tactus, DigressioneMusic, NMS Productions etc. After the success achieved with the symphonic poem for mezzo-soprano and orchestra “The Explorer” commissioned by the prestigious Stanford University in San Francisco and performed as a world premiere at the Bing Concert Hall during the 2012-13 concert season, Traversi presents, for the first time worldwide, near the Ponte Vecchio in Florence “A Flood of Sound”, an urban symphonic poem for 100 instrumentalists commissioned by the Italian Brass Festival, Opera Firenze/MMF on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1966 flood. For the 2017 season, he therefore receives the prestigious commission from the Florence Opera Theater for a new Symphonic Fantasy entitled “The Titans” for 10 soloists (of international fame) and large symphony orchestra conducted by Philipp von Steinaecker. He then composed the scenic painting for actor, choir and orchestra “The world has many kings but only one Michelangelo” based on a text by Buonarroti which, under the direction of the author, opened the authoritative International Florence Choral Festival. In 2019, on the occasion of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the conquest of the moon with the APOLLO 11 mission, the Florence Opera House together with the ASI (Italian Space Agency) commissioned a symphonic poem for large orchestra entitled “The great leap”, on stage on 21 July at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Also in 2019, in collaboration with the municipality of Vinci and Florence, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death, he was commissioned to compose a Suite for brass instruments which was partly played on 50 FIAT 500s (renowned vintage car) by as many musicians on a traveling musical journey from Vinci to Florence with a final concert in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the writing of the most eminent Italian poem of all time, “L’Infinito” by Giacomo Leopardi, he was commissioned to compose the piece of the same name for tenor, choir and orchestra, successfully performed in a world premiere for the inauguration of the new Tarquinia Theater in the spring of 2019. For his innumerable and recognized artistic merits, he was then awarded the Honor of Officer of the Order “of Merit of the Italian Republic”, upon proposal of the Florence Opera Theater and decree of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella signed on December 27, 2020. In 2021 he created the soundtrack for the animated series “Contos de Arena” based on ancient Sardinian stories and tales broadcast on RAI3, subsequently winning the bronze medal for the musical commentary of animations created with innovative techniques at the GMA in the USA. He was later chosen as a composer/testimonial for a global awareness campaign to save the Amazon: his piece “The Jungle”, for solo trumpet and string orchestra, was performed on a barge along the Amazon River departing from Manaus (Brazil) by an international orchestra and the famous German trumpeter Otto Sauter. The concert was later included in a documentary on the Amazon produced by Lumire Pavilions (China) for the Chinese domestic market. In 2022 he wrote the commissioned symphonic piece “Dizzymphony”, a tribute to the great jazz musician and composer Dizzy Gillespie, for symphony orchestra and jazz trio. Alongside his concert activity, he began his career as a composer of soundtracks in 1998 with the documentary film entitled “Le vie dell’arte” by Cosmofilm Spa for the Italian national television (RAI). Subsequently, he composed music for commercials, multimedia theatre shows (both as a composer of original music, additional music and as an orchestrator/arranger) and for some short films, among which “Exodus” and “The Light over the Stone” stand out. Finally, he signed the entire soundtrack of the drama film “L.over.S” (Love over Sickness), with Benedetta Rossi. In 2013, he moved to the USA where he joined the staff of Ilsley Music in Los Angeles (USA). He was later chosen as score assistant/orchestrator by the famous film composer Golden Globe nominee Christopher Young (already known for “Hellraiser”, “Spider-Man 3”, “Ghost Raider”, “Drag Me to Hell”, “Sinister”) with whom he worked on the soundtracks of various important films (e.g. GODS BEHAVING BADLY with Sharon Stone, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, John Turturro, Edie Falco, Oliver Platt – MADEA AT CHRISTMAS with Tyler Perry – SINGLE MOMS CLUB with Nia Long, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Zulay Henao, Cocoa Brown, Amy Smart). These collaborations later earned him some important awards such as the prestigious nomination at the Hollywood Music Awards in Los Angeles and the bronze medal at the Global Music Awards 2014 in San Diego (CA). Subsequently, the American government granted him the artist visa (O1) recognized only to individuals with “extraordinary ability”. In Italy, he won the First Prize at the Best Soundtrack 2014 competition for short films, the First Prize at the “Sounds in motion” competition as best soundtrack for animations, the “Manuel De Sica” Award as best musician at the Terre di Siena Film Festival with official award ceremony at the Accademia Chigiana. In 2017 he signed the soundtrack for the official spot of the Tuscia Film Festival. He was a member of the jury for four editions of the international award for Choirs, Florence Choral Festival and Commissioner for the Safeguarding of Traditional Music at the Ministry of Culture. In 2024, as part of the celebrations for Giacomo Puccini, one of his original pieces was chosen by the Banda Nazionale della Guardia di Finanza and performed with great success at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, while the BolsenArte Music Festival, under the direction of the author, hosted the world premiere of the Orange Symphony, part of the “Short&Colorful Symphonies” cycle. Also active as an arranger, he is frequently commissioned by ensembles and cultural organizations to create arrangements for various groups and in a wide range of styles. Notably, he has collaborated in this capacity with the renowned all-female string quartet Alter Echo, official supporting ensemble of the “Amici per sempre” tour by POOH, and in chamber concerts alongside Andrea Bocelli. Several of his arrangements of international titles are being published by the prestigious Hal Leonard Europe. His orchestral arrangement of the famous Neapolitan song “Anema e core” was featured in the national celebrations for composer Salvo D’Esposito in Naples. As a complement to his artistic journey, Francesco Traversi has also embarked on a compelling path as a composer of contemporary and experimental music, with particular attention to avant-garde languages, electronic music, and audio programming. His work explores immersive and spatialized soundscapes, often in dialogue with visual and installation art. His latest composition, “SOUNDSCAPE#1”, is conceived in octophony (eight-channel sound diffusion) and designed as an immersive sound exhibition. The piece is scheduled for presentation at the Italian Cultural Institute in Paris, further highlighting the international scope of his research and his ongoing commitment to blending art, technology, and contemporary sound practices. Alongside his work as a composer, Traversi also maintains an active career as a conductor of both orchestras and choirs, regularly collaborating with ensembles such as the Europa Musica Symphony Orchestra, the Italian Wind Orchestra, the Coro Lirico Italiano, the Ladies Italian Chamber Orchestra, the NMS Academy Orchestra, and the Orchestra Sinfonica delle Cento Città (official musical institution of the Lazio Region), with programs ranging from opera to the great symphonic repertoire. As a musician and producer with a strong technical background, Francesco Traversi is also an expert in architectural acoustics. He is frequently involved as a consultant in acoustic optimization projects for spaces dedicated to music, theater, or cultural use, working alongside architects and designers to develop technically and artistically coherent solutions. As a musician and producer with a solid technical background, Traversi is also an expert in architectural acoustics. He is frequently involved as a consultant in acoustic optimization projects for spaces dedicated to music, theatre, and cultural use, working alongside architects and designers to develop technically and artistically coherent solutions. He currently runs a multimedia music production studio in Tuscany, named FT CreativeStudio. In 2026, Francesco Traversi will be involved in several major artistic projects of international relevance. Among these is the world performance of the symphonic poem for large orchestra Eighth Day, scheduled to be presented as part of the prestigious concert season of the Bing Concert Hall in San Francisco (USA), further strengthening the composer’s long-standing relationship with the American musical scene and with one of the most authoritative international concert institutions. In the same year, Traversi will take part in a major concert funded by the Italian Ministry of Culture, in which he will appear in the dual role of composer and conductor. The event is scheduled for September 2026 and will take place at one of the world’s most significant archaeological sites: Pompeii. Starting in late 2026, he will also be engaged in the composition of the musical score and soundtracks for two Italian feature film productions, the details of which will be officially announced in the coming months.
