Artistic Direction – Associazione Corale Goriziana "C. A. Seghizzi"

EUGENIUSZ KUS

Artistic Director and Jury President of the 59th “Seghizzi” International Choral Singing Competition

Prof. Dr. Hab. Eugeniusz Kus, born in Poland, graduated from the Music Academy (University) in Poznań/Poland and afterwards continued skill’s training at the music academies in Warsaw Poland, Haque and Rotterdam/Netherland and Vienna/Austria. From 1969 until 2005 artistic director of the Szczecin University Choir and since 1984 leading professional chamber choir and orchestra “Camerata Nova”. These ensembles conducted by him performed at the festivals and concerts in most European countries as well as in USA, China and Brasil (about two thousand concerts). With his group and as the guest conductor he performed many of the most significant vocal-instrumental and instrumental works; from passions and masses by J.S,Bach till the contemporary music. He has frequently been invited to participate in workshops and international juries at the choir , compositions and vocal contests in Poland, Italy, Greece, Germany, Bulgaria, Spain, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, China, Hong Kong and Korea. For many years he worked as a director of the bigest Szczecin Culture Centre in the Pomeranian Princes Castle in Szczecin. He initiates and organises many festivals, workshops and concerts.

At presents he works as a director of chamber choir and orchestra “Camerata Nova”, artistic director of a well know Polish music festivals in Kamien Pomorski and Szczecin (International Organ and Chamber Music Festivals ) director of the International Choir Festival in Szczecin. For many years he has been teaching choir and orchestra conducting, and currently is still a Professor of the Academy of Art in Szczecin. For his artistic achievements he was repeatedly honoured with Szczecin City Council awards and he was also decorated with the Orders of Merit by both the Polish and German Presidents.

The decades-long positive relationship with the “Seghizzi” association, solid international experience, extensive artistic and musical expertise, significant proficiency in foreign languages, diverse roles held, constant inclination and willingness to collaborate, attention to the youth, and the mentioned managerial skills in the cultural sector make him particularly suited to assume the delicate and decisive role of artistic director of the Seghizzi international music events. This appointment reflects continuity with the past and openness to all new musical and cultural challenges that the Seghizzi association aims to address.

EDDI DE NADAI

Artistic Director and Jury President of the 19th International Chamber Singing Competition “Seghizzi”

Eddi De Nadai, formerly Maestro Collaborator at the Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Staatsoper in Hannover, Verdi in Trieste, Lyric Experimental in Spoleto, Sociale in Trento, graduated in piano and harpsichord at the Venice Conservatory, studied conducting with Romolo Gessi, Donato Renzetti, Lior Shambadal and Deyan Pavlov. He was guest conductor at the Izmir Opera House and, from 2009 to 2013, at the Bolshoi Theater in Tashkent. He carries out an intense activity collaborating with prestigious orchestras (Orchestra of Padua and Veneto, City of Ferrara, Mitteleuropa Orchestra, Slovenian Radio and Television, Cordoba Symphony, Orpheus Kammerorchester Wien, Bacau Philharmonic, Odessa Philharmonic, Kiev String’s Orchestra, Albanian Radio and Television, Opera of Belgrade and Ljubljana, Astana Opera) and important soloists such as Bruno Canino, Rocco Filippini, Enrico Pieranunzi, Luciana D’Intino, Katia Ricciarelli, directing a vast symphonic and operatic repertoire in Italy and abroad.

Recently he conducted Nabucco and Aida at the Taormina Opera Stars, Madama Butterfly at the Pucciniano Festival in Torre del Lago, The little sweep by Britten at the Verdi Theater in Pisa, La Cecchina by Piccinni and Maria de Buenos Aires in Piazzolla at the Teatro Comunale in Treviso. He inaugurated MittelFest 2016 in Cividale with the world premiere of Menocchio by R. Miani. He conducted the world premiere of Mauro Montalbetti’s Still Requies at the Milan Triennale and at the Teatro Grande in Brescia.

He is the founder and artistic director of the Orpheus Ensemble, which is dedicated to instrumental literature of the twentieth century.

He is also the creator and artistic director of the project “All Opera, guys! for the dissemination of the contemporary operatic repertoire for children, now in its fourteenth edition: in recent years he has created and directed The New Dress of the Emperor by Paolo Furlani, Arcibaldo Sonivari by Mario Pagotto, The little sweep by Benjamin Britten, La Fuggitiva by Lucio Gregoretti , New Year’s Eve by Renato Miani, The Wizard of Oz by Pierangelo Valtinoni, Christmas Tale by Carlo Galante. Il Vestito nuovo dell’Imperatore di Paolo Furlani, Arcibaldo Sonivari di Mario Pagotto, The little sweep di Benjamin Britten, La Fuggitiva di Lucio Gregoretti, La notte di San Silvestro di Renato Miani, Il Mago di Oz di Pierangelo Valtinoni, Racconto di Natale di Carlo Galante.

Collaborator with internationally renowned singers, he has given concerts for prestigious institutions and important festivals throughout Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, Argentina, Mexico and the United States.

From 2002 to 2010 he was official pianist at the Gorizia International Vocal Chamber Music Competition

He is a teacher at the Milan Conservatory.

PIETRO FERRARIO

Artistic Director and Jury President of the 20th International Choral and Solo Voice Composition Competition “Seghizzi”

He is a composer, choir conductor, pianist (complete live performance in the last years of all Chopin’s, Liszt and Rachmaninoff Études), organist, and an appreciated author of various works performed and recorded in Italy and abroad (Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, Australia, China, USA, New Zealand, Argentina, Israel, Japan, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Norway, South Africa, Czech Republic, Slovenja, Indonesia, Belgium, UK, Latvia) by important symphonic orchestras and choirs, in the most important musical festivals (for example Carnegie Hall 2019 New York and ACDA National Convention 2019 Kansas City) and in the most important choral competitions (Arezzo, Gorizia, Maribor, Tolosa, Tours). He composed on commission of important european institutions such as Fondazione Toscanini di Parma, Settimane Musicali di Stresa, Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, Landesakademie Ochsenhausen (D).

He was awarded the first prize at the International Trophy of Choral Composition “C. A. Seghizzi” in Gorizia in 2004, In 2008 1st prize in the 2nd International competition of composition “Bruno Bettinelli” in Milano. In 2016 first prize in the Arezzo composition competition “Canta Petrarca”. In 2020 first prize in the AERCO International Composition Competition. His compositions are published by the german Carus, Ferrimontana, and the Italian Ricordi, Sonzogno, Carrara, and others. Besides the choral works, he has also an interesting production of piano and organ pieces. He is often invited as a jury member in important national and international choral and composition competitions, in Italy and abroad.Ensemble vocale Calycanthus, quest’ultimo da lui fondato (1° premio Concorso Internazionale Riva del Garda 2003, 1° premio Concorso Nazionale di Arezzo 2005, Gran Premio Efrem Casagrande Vittorio Veneto 2006, premio Feniarco come miglior coro italiano a Gorizia 2008, 1° premio sez. gruppi vocali a Biella 2012, 2° premio ex-aequo (1° non assegnato) al 9° Concorso Nazionale Lago Maggiore di Verbania 2018 sez. cori misti), con cui ha tenuto concerti in importanti festivals musicali in Italia e all’estero, tenendo anche prime assolute di alcuni lavori di Miškinis, Dubra, Corghi, Bianchera, e prime italiane di lavori di Sixten e Antognini, e con cui ha inciso due CD per Bottega Discantica e SMC Records.

He is the conductor of Ensemble vocale Calycanthus since its foundation (1997), first prize winner in two of the most important Italian choral competitions (Arezzo 2005 and Vittorio Veneto 2006). He recorded with this group a CD of contemporary choral music, and a pop-jazz a cappella arrangements CD. Composers Vytautas Miškinis, Rihards Dubra, Azio Corghi and Ivo Antognini wrote pieces for Calycanthus, premiered between 2008 and 2021. Other Italian premières of composers Fredrik Sixten and Ivo Antognini took place in 2009, 2016. Interesting projects of the last years were the complete performance of Martin’s and Rheinberger’s Masses for double choir, and another program on Eric Whitacre’s music. He has been professor of composition, music theory, choir conducting and choral composition, harmony and analysis at the Vicenza, Cagliari, Sassari, Cesena and Parma conservatories. He currently is professor of music theory and ear training at the “Rossini” Conservatory in Pesaro.

English (UK)