Born in Italy in 1976, Ferdinando Mussutto graduated in piano with full marks from the conservatoire “J. Tomadini” in Udine at the age of 20. He subsequently attended several masterclasses for both solo and chamber repertoire, studying with Piero Rattalino, Walther Panhofer, Daniel Rivera, Trio di Parma. In 2001 he completed a two-year advanced course with Maestro Andrea Lucchesini at the Sesto Fiorentino’s School of Music, and one year later he completed the chamber music courses at the Trio di Trieste School of Music in Duino (Trieste), studying with Dario De Rosa, Maureen Jones and Enrico Bronzi, and obtaining a distinction degree.
He has won prizes both as a soloist and in ensemble in numerous national and international competitions, and he has performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles around Italy, Austria, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, China, Paraguay and Venezuela, always enjoying great acclaim both from the public and the critics. He has been involved in several music projects with theatres and musical establishments of Italy and in Austria, e.g. with the Ente Lirico “G. Verdi” of Trieste, the Orchestra FVG Mitteleuropa, the Festival “La Biennale Musica” in Venice, the “Accademia Ars Musicae” of Klagenfurt (Austria), the “CarinthiaArtis” Association and the Conservatoire “A. Steffani” of Castelfranco Veneto (Treviso), the Choir of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the “S. Cecilia Music Foundation of Portogruaro (Venice), the Orchestra “I Pomeriggi Musicali” of Milan, the Tallin Sinfonietta, and has collaborated with important italian soloist, e.g. with Domenico Nordio, Domenico Balzani, Lucio Degani, Gabriele Ragghianti, Federico Mondelci, Massimo Mercelli, Roberto Fabbriciani, Cheryl Porter, the Szabò String Quartet, and Nicola Mazzanti, piccolo soloist of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, with whom, in 2016, he’s recorded a CD that will be soon released. During his career he recorded several CDs, among wich there’s a first-time recording of chamber works by the German composer Anton Schoendlinger (sonata for viola and piano and second sonata for violin and piano) for REALSOUND label. He frequently explores the contemporary and jazz-latin influenced composition as in the sax&piano CD’s “INTERSECTIONS” for ARTESUONO label.
In December 2002 he won the selection for a piano accompanist at the conservatoire “A. Steffani” of Castelfranco Veneto (Treviso) and held this position for four years, practising a lot of chamber repertory for strings and winds. In 2009 he was invited to teach in a Piano Master-Class for the students of “A. Lopez” Music School in Caracas; he teaches piano, armony and music theory since 20 years, and a lot of his students won prices in piano competitions and achieved best marks in piano conservatory exams. In 2010 the “Carinthia Artis” Association (Austria) gave him the “Carinthicum Price” for the high artistic concert activity in Carinthia. In the same year he created a cycle of concert-lessons entitled “Chopin, the poet-pianist”, playing the more significant compositions and explaining the main stilistic lines of the composer in relations to his biography, reaching a great success among the public. He’s the leader of the Ensemble “Piano Twelve”, a group of twelve pianists playing original arrangements for twelve pianos, whose concerts have drawn a lot a public in Lugano Congress Center (CH), Milano’s Expo, and Palazzo Pitti in Florence. He’s often member of jury in many piano competition and scholarship’s assignments for development of young artists.
Sara Radin. She received her Piano diploma, with top marks and honours, from the State Music Conservatory “G. Tartini” in Trieste, under the tutelage of professor G. Gulli. She then continued her studies at the “Scuola di Perfezionamento e Magistero Strumentale” in Trieste, obtaining the three-year diploma after following courses with Maestros Bruno Canino, Dario De Rosa, Christian Yvaldi, Shuku Ywasaki. Admitted to the “Conservatoire de Lausanne” (Switzerland) in the class of M° Jean-François Antonioli for piano and M° Dag Achatz for chamber music, she obtained the “Licenza di Perfezionamento di Musica da Camera” in 1994. In 1997 she graduated in solo piano at the Academy of Music in Florence, under the guidance of M. Pier Narciso Masi. She is the recipient of various national and international chamber music awards (for violin and piano duos) including 1st prize at the International Competition “J. Brahms” of Acqui Terme, 2002, 1st prize at the National Competition “Riviera Etrusca” (Li), 2002, 1st prize at the National Competition “Hyperion” Cittá di Ciampino, 2002. She was a pianist collaborator in Master Classes held by Masters such as Pierre Thibaud, C. Cossutta, V. Legiša, G. Carmignola, B. Antonioni, F. Acolas, M. Padovani in Slovenia, Croatia and Switzerland. She is actively involved in teaching music, particularly piano. She has obtained, with top marks and honours, four Masters, including Piano accompaniment and vocal coaching. She is a piano teacher at the 1st grade secondary music school “G. Roli” in Trieste. In 2010, she was a researcher at the Department of Music Teaching of the “Tartini” Conservatory for the EGGS project. Since 2010 she has been directing the project “Dentro la scena – Musica” for the Municipal Theatre of Monfalcone. She is a busy concert performer in various chamber ensembles, in Italy and abroad. She has recently dueted with violinist Manrico Padovani at the “Kulthurhaus Helferei” in Zurich. She plays in duos and trios with flutist Giorgio Di Giorgi (first flute of the orchestra G. Verdi in Trieste) and clarinetist Vincenzo Paci (first clarinet of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice) with whom she will perform at the Italian Institute of Culture in Oslo.
Alberto Maniaci was born in Palermo in September 1987. He is a young conductor, composer and pianist. He was awarded a First Class Honour Degree (with a Mention) in Piano at Palermo “V.Bellini” Conservatorium. He studied composition with Marco Betta and conducting with Piero Bellugi, Ennio Nicotra. Recently, in 2016, he was the only Italian pupil of Riccardo Muti for the second edition of the Italian Opera Academy.
As a conductor he has performed with Orchestra Giovanile Mediterranea (Mediterranean Young Orchestra), which he founded in Palermo in 2002; Orchestra Sinfonica “La Verdi” of Milan, Orchestra Giovani Solisti Siciliani (Young Sicilian Soloists Orchestra), Milan Accademia Concertante d’Archi (Strings Concert Academy), Florence Symphonietta, Peter The Great Music Academy, Orchestra Jazz Siciliana (Sicilian Jazz Orchestra), Orchestra Filarmonica Nissena, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini of Parma (for the “Arturo Toscanini Competition” for young conductor, which ranked among the 12 selected worldwide). Orchestra Sinfonica del Conservatorio Vincenzo Bellini di Palermo, Mediterranean Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Giovanile Internazionale “Fedele Fenaroli” di Lanciano, Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese, Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana (Sicilian Symphony Orchestra), Teatro Massimo Orchestra, ICO Orchestra della Magna Grecia. In 2012 he won the 3rd prize at the V International Competition “Luigi Mancinelli”; in Orvieto for conductors, conducting the Orchestra Music Space at the same competition. In the same year he won the “Prize of the Arts”; in conducting organized by the Ministry of Education, University and Research at the Conservatory “Alfredo Casella”, in L’Aquila. In May 2014 he debuted Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana. At the beginning of 2015 he has conducted “Oh!Che armonico fracasso” by Cimarosa, Mozart, Bach and Maniaci; in 2017 he has created with Teresa Mannino and Alberto Cavallotti “Teresa Valery”; (from “La Traviata”) produced by Teatro Massimo. In 2018 he has created “Il duello alcomico”; by G. Paisiello and A. Maniaci. With the same theatre he was also the conductor of a lot of productions: “Figaro – Opera Camion!” (2016 – 2017), “Le nuvole di carta” by G. D’Aquila (2017) and a jazz concert with Paolo Fresu, trumpet. As conductor he worked with pianists Giuseppe Andaloro and Tamas Vasary, the doublebass player Alberto Bocini and the piccolo players Nicola Mazzanti, Gudrun Hinze, Marta Rossi and Rena Urso. Crossover artist, Alberto Maniaci worked on Rock music contest as arranger and conductor. He’s also a composer and his music is published by Edizioni Musicali Wicky, Kelidon Edizioni and U07 Edizioni. As pianist, in September 2009 he recorded the CD “Il Volo” (The Flight) with composer Nunzio Ortolano’s music. As conductor, in july 2014 he recorded the CD “La cattedrale” with Orchestra Giovanile Mediterranea. Recently he composed and recorded the project “Appunti a matita – raccolta di temi per la lezione di danza classica”; for the label Edizioni Musicali Wicky. In the Teatro Massimo’s summer season 2018 he conducted “Don Pasquale”; and “L’Elisir d’amore”; by G. Donizetti and in 2019 he conducted “La Traviata”; by Teatro Massimo. Recently, in December 2019 he conducted “Il Trovatore”; by Ente Concerti M. De Carolis in Sassari and in 2020, in Milan a Symphonic tribute to Ennio Morricone named “Ennio Morricone Night”, with himself arrangement for Orchestra Sinfonica “La Verdi”. During last seven years he has teached at Dancing Lyceum “Regina Margherita” in Palermo as ballet pianist. Since 2017 he teach also Jazz arrangement and composition and Orchestral practice at Istituto Musicale “Arturo Toscanini”; of Ribera (Ag). Actually he teach Theory and Ear Training at “N. Paganini”; Conservatorium in Genova.