The 7th edition of the International Competition For Guitar and Plucked Stringed Instrumental Groups “Giacomo Sartori” of Ala (TN) had taken place between the 2nd and the 5th of May, 2019.

Registrations are open until the 20th of March, 2019; rules, prices, and registration costs can be all found in the competition announcement, which can be downloaded from the right panel. For any information it is possible to contact the organisation at sartori@societafilarmonicadiala.it.

Compulsory excerpts – 1st part

Category A) mandolin and guitar duo

• Bisturi, by Giuseppe Mario Sartori;
• Elegia-Spiritello, by Giacomo Sartori;
• Rossiniana, by Carlo Munier.

Category B) Quartet

• Sogno di Primavera, by Domenico Nino Sartori;
• Il Canto del Diavolo, by Giacomo Sartori;
• Danza Esotica, by Raffaele Calace.

Category B) Quintet

• Nostalgie di Merano, by Giuseppe Mario Sartori;
• Quintetto in mi minore, by Eizaburō Hirayama.

Category C) Plucked stringed instruments orchestra

• Potpourri popolare, by Giacomo Sartori;
• New Orlandeas – Omaggio a Renato Dionisi, by Silvia Bianchera (commissioned for the 7th edition of the contest).

Jury

Silvia Bianchera – 🇮🇹Italy

Born in Roma, she studied at commercial school in Brescia, where she spent her childhood, and got her degrees in ” Didactic Singing” (with the mark of ten “cum laude” and special mention), “Artistic Singing” and “Composition” at Milan Conservatory, respectively with Jolanda Magnoni and Bruno Bettinelli. As soprano, she made her debut at the age of 20 in Euridice by Jacopo Peri and in the Beggar’s Opera by Benjamin Britten. At the same time, she was carrying on the artistic activity, mostly in contemporary repertoire. As composer, she won competition such as RAI (1970), Città di Varese (1978), the “Enzo Muccetti” Award in Parma (1980) with Varianti for bassoon and strings, the Second Prize in the Concorso Internazionale “S. Ferrari” di Piacenza (2008), the Teacher Award Alessandria 2008 and Award ASSAMI of Milan Conservatory ” A Life for Music 2017″. The interpreters of her music were eminent conductors and performers such as Aldo Ceccato, Daniele Gatti, Farhad Mechkat, Maria Isabella De Carli, Daniele Pollini ,Silvia Mapelli, Sonia Turchetta,” Rondo Clarinet Trio”, Molly Vivian Huang, “Quartetto di Milano”, “New Made Ensemble”, Dèdalo Ensemble, NED Ensemble. She was singing professor at Bergamo Conservatory. Her works are published by Ricordi, Curci, Suvini-Zerboni, Agenda, Rugginenti, Certosa Verlag.

Armando Franceschini – 🇮🇹Italy

Armando Franceschini completed his musical studies with Andrea Mascagni, graduating in Choral Music and Composition with Niccolò Castiglioni. Author of choral music, chamber music and orchestra and stage music for theatres, he has carried out historical, philological and interpretative research through the revision and publication of the Opera omnia by Francesco Antonio Bonporti. He undertook collaborations with Rai, creating numerous soundtracks for radio and television dramas. He was artistic director of the Accademia Filarmonica Trentina and founder of the vocal ensemble Il Virtuoso Ritrovo, with whom he performed a remarkable concert activity both in Italy and abroad. Armando Franceschini has carried out teaching activities at the Conservatories of Mantua and Parma and, since 1982, has been the chair of Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue and Composition at the Conservatory of Trento of which, from 1989 to 2006, also took over the management. After leaving the Conservatory he continued to perform his musical and teaching activities. In fact, the Conservatory called him back to give lessons in Form and Analysis in the Popular Music Course.

Toshiji Ishii – 🇯🇵Japan

Born October 05, 1963 in Kawanishi-shi, Japan. Begins the study of the guitar at the age of 10 years. After obtaining the State Diploma of Music Teacher in Secondary School at Takamatsu University in Japan, decides to go to France, in Nice, and follows the teaching of the Ako Ito, professor at the National Conservatory of Nice. At the same time, he actively participates in international workshops with guitarists like Alirio Diaz, Alberto Ponce. Also finalist of the Villa-Lobos International Competition of the European Institute of Guitar. After having obtained the Prize at Conservatory of Nice, admission to Alexandre Lagoya’s class at the National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris and integrating the Paris guitar trio with Michel Sadanowsky. Then begins a concert artist career in many foreign countries. In 1992, obtained the First Prize of the National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance of Paris. In 1994, obtained the Concert License at the Conservatory of the 7th arrondissement of Paris “Erik Satie”. In 2000, decided to leave the Paris guitar trio and continue the path of solo concert artist and founded the guitar duo LaLutz with Danièle Ishii. He also holds the State Diploma of Guitar Teacher. In 2011: Winner of the A.S.E.A (territorial assistant of France state) external competition in discipline guitar. In 2013: Winner of the competition of Professor of Artistic Education (PEA) in discipline guitar. In 2015, he was appointed to director of the Conservatory of Noyon in France.

To date, three world tours and several tours in Europe, about 600 concerts, chamber music, and solo, through various programs. He is leading the Conservatory of Noyon in France as director. Recording of 3 CDs in 1990, 1995, and 1996 with the formation of the Paris guitar trio, and 2 CD’s sole in 2000 and 2005.

Felix Resch – 🇮🇹Italy

Felix Resch has been Rector of the Bolzano Conservatory “Claudio Monteverdi” from 2008 to 2014 where he is full professor of music theory and analysis. During his composition studies with Professor Francesco Valdambrini at Bolzano Conservatory he began composing a considerable number of various chamber music works (Quartetto d’archi, Sonata Pf. e Vlc. Cadenz per VI. Solo, Ballade per Pf. Fantasia per Ob. e Pf.) and orchestral works (Perspektive I per orchestra, Perspektive II Fl. solo e orchestra, Strade segnate Soprano set to texts by Marco Cagol). He graduated in choral music and choral conducting in 1981 and started his teaching activity at Tartini Trieste Conservatory while he continued composing alongside his job as a choir director. He has been awarded various national and international prizes as choir director of the musical ensemble “ars cantandi” (in Arezzo, Verona, Vittorio Veneto) and as composer of choir music in Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, Switzerland, Hungaria and Germany. Among his major compositions of that time are the oratorio “Michael Pacher” (set to a text by Karl Lubomirsky for choir and orchestra, performed in Brunico, Bolzano (I), St. Wolfgang (A) and Szombathely (H), “über allen Gipfeln” prize AGEC, “T.T.T. 1908” for actor and brass ensemble, Gustav Mahler-Wochen/Dobbiaco (text by Hermann Winkler), “Geraum” for 2 percussions and choir (text by Oswald Egger), “kaiseriade” (text by n.c. Kaser) for wood orchestra commissioned by Festspiele Uster; a capella choir citiamo “Wachsamkeit” (es. Stimmen/Innsbruck), “Sgelo” (text by Sebastiano Satta, commissioned work Spittal a.d. Drau, Austria), “Horizontale Verschiebungen” (text by J.W.v. Goethe) commissioned by Transart Bolzano. The compositional work of Resch is characterised by interdisciplinarity and shows different aspects of contemporaneity.
Various compositions of Felix Resch have been registered by radio/TV public Rai/ORF/SFS and recorded on CD.

Pieter Van Tichelen – 🇧🇪Belgium

Pieter Van Tichelen first laid eyes and fingers on a mandolin at the age of 6. After graduating with high honours at the music academy of Brasschaat in 1996, he pursued studies in musicology at the University of Leuven. In 2000 he graduated magna cum laude to a Master’s degree in Musicology on a thesis about 17th century mandolin history. Afterwards he took up mandolin classes at the Tilburg Catholic Conservatory with professor Benny Ludemann (not pursued until graduation). Pieter has played mandolin in several of Belgium’s symphonic and opera orchestras (Vlaamse Opera, De Munt, Vlaams Radio Orkest etc.). He also recorded several CD’s as session musician, and played several years in a Dutch-Belgian folk ensemble (Aerdewerck). For more than 15 years, he formed a permanent mandolin-guitar duo with guitarist Johan Dias. Pieter is active as musician in the mandolin orchestra of Brasschaat (Brasschaats Mandoline-Orkest) since 1993, and started as assistant conductor and board member since 2010. As musicologist specialized in mandolin history, Pieter has uncovered several manuscripts and prints with parts for mandolin who were either though lost or even completely unknown (such the variation sequence La Pierre de Touche by Gabriele Leone from 1768, or the mandolin-piano sonata by Michele Bolaffi from 1794). He was honoured twice with a guest professorship at the Antwerp Music Conservatory to teach early mandolin history (to ca. 1850). In June 2018, he presented a paper at Mainz university on the subject of “Tolerance between instrumental repertories or commercial tricks? Mandolin-related prints prior to 1850” (publication forthcoming). Pieter shares the results from his ongoing research on his blog (http://www.vantichelen.name) and often includes modern and urtext editions of his discoveries.

In the Jury also the historical organisers and architects of the Giacomo Sartori project: the Artistic Director of the Competition, Ugo Orlandi, and the current President of the Philharmonic Society Luigi Azzolini.

Ugo Orlandi – 🇮🇹Italy

Artistic Director of the “Giacomo Sartori” Competition since the First Edition. Concertist, professor of Mandolin at the “G. Verdi “in Milan.

Luigi Azzolini – 🇮🇹Italy

Member of the Artistic Direction of the Giacomo Sartori Competition since the First Edition and promoter of the Sartori Project, he is active in the concert field as a violist. Chorus and orchestra director, he made several recordings and first performances. He is a professor at the Conservatory “C. Monteverdi “of Bolzano.