International Composition Competition for Children’s Choir
CORINFESTA, International Composition Competition for Children’s Choirs, is organized since 2017. The partners are: AERCO, the Emilia Romagna Region Association of Choirs and the Foundation C.G. Andreoli of the Union of Municipalities of the Northern Area of Modena. The purpose is to create new material for children’s choirs to be widely spread.
Participation and prizes
Artistic Direction
Andrea Angelini
A.E.R.CO. President
Choir Conductor, Teacher, Composer Born in Bologna, Italy,
Andrea Angelini began his piano studies as a child, at the Rimini Lettimi School. He later earned a Doctorate of Music (Piano) at Ferrara’s Frescobaldi Conservatory. After earning a Master in Choral Conducting he studied music therapy with Professor Cremaschi of Milan University. His interests led him to the choral field, and he earned a Bachelor studying at the International Art Academy in Rome with Fulvio Angius. He also studied organ at Pesaro’s Conservatory of Music. Finally he got his PHD in Choral Music at the Cesena Conservatoire of Music. He is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the professional group Musica Ficta Vocal Ensemble that frequently performs in important Festivals in Italy and abroad. For many years, Andrea Angelini has conducted concerts with the choir Carla Amori, in Italy and abroad. Named Director of the Rimini Community Choir, Alessandro Grandi, he led this choir in several performances, including in important venues such as St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome – where he was able to personally meet Pope John Paul II – and in Milan’s Cathedral. He has also conducted the Belarusian National Capella Choir, the Lithuanian Jauna Muzika Choir, the Latvian Ave Sol, the Ukrainian Ave Musica, the Russian Domestik and the Tudor Consort from New Zealand. Dr. Angelini is the Artistic Director of the Choral Festival Voci nei Chiostri held annually in Rimini each spring. He has been member of the Jury at many International Choir’s Competitions in Italy, Europe and Asia. He frequently leads choral workshops in Italy and abroad (Romania, Russia, Belarus, Moldavia, Hungary, Malaysia, Indonesia, Croatia and China). He has been the artistic director and one of the tutors at the Rimini International Choral Workshop, where he taught with Peter Phillips, director of the Tallis Scholars. Mr. Angelini is also the artistic director of the Rimini International Choral Competition, of the Claudio Monteverdi Choral Competition and of the Queen of the Adriatic Sea Choral Festival and Competition and of the Liviu Borlan Choral Festival. He is the Editor of the International Choral Bulletin (ICB), the membership magazine of the IFCM (International Federation for Choral Music). He has written numerous transcriptions and arrangements for choirs and chamber ensembles. His transcription of Faure’s Requiem is published by Gelber Hund Verlag of Berlin. For the American CanticaNOVA Publication, he has prepared transcriptions of important Renaissance Motets. He has published his composition with Eurarte and Ferrimontana. He is a member for Italy of the World Choir Council. Actually he is the President of AERCO, the Emilia-Romagna Regional Association of Choirs.
e-mail: thechoralconductor@gmail.com
Luca Buzzavi
Artistic Director
CURRICULUM VITAE
Diplomato al Triennio di Direzione di coro e Composizione corale (110 e lode con menzione d’onore) presso il Conservatorio L. Campiani di Mantova, laureato in Fisica (110 e lode) presso l’Università di Bologna, ha studiato Chitarra Classica. Diplomando al Biennio di Prepolifonia (m° Fulvio Rampi) presso il Conservatorio G. Verdi di Torino, ha seguito numerose masterclass di perfezionamento sulla Direzione corale (in particolare la Fondazione Guido d’Arezzo con i maestri Donati, Marzola, Marzilli, Pavese, Berrini, Graden, Corti, Busto, Rasmussen, Lah, Broadbent, Corti e in altri corsi intensivi con Phillips, Krawczynski, Leech), Direzione d’orchestra (Nicotra, De Palma) e sulla Didattica e Pedagogia musicali (Leo, Astulez, Visioli, Piccardi, Oetterli, Paduano). Insegna Chitarra classica, Teoria e solfeggio e Canto corale presso la Fondazione C. G. Andreoli dei comuni dell’Area Nord di Modena all’interno della quale prepara la classe di canto corale costituita dal Coro di voci bianche Aurora. Dal 2018 fa parte dell’equipe del Progetto Disabilità. È direttore artistico di Accademia Corale Teleion (Poggio Rusco – MN) dove segue il coro da camera Gamma Chorus e la Schola gregoriana Matilde di Canossa, organizza seminari e corsi estivi con illustri docenti sul Canto Gregoriano e la Polifonia. È membro del Comitato editoriale della rivista FarCoro, docente al Corso per direttori di cori scolastici promosso da AERCO e membro della Commissione Artistica di USCI Lombardia. Ha ottenuto importanti risultati e riconoscimenti in concorsi corali nazionali in veste di direttore, compositore e commissario.
Gianni Guicciardi
Artistic Director
CURRICULUM VITAE
Gianni Guicciardi, già docente di Cultura Musicale Generale e di Percezione Musicale presso il Conservatorio L. Campiani di Mantova, ha fondato la Scuola Corale Roberto Goitre di Modena svolgendo un’intensa attività concertistica. Negli anni ottanta è stato direttore della Scuola Corale Puccini di Sassuolo. Continua a dedicarsi alla composizione di opere musicali per bambini e ragazzi. Collabora con la Fondazione C. G. Andreoli dell’Unione del Comuni Modenesi Area Nord con i seguenti incarichi: vocalista del coro di voci bianche Aurora, direttore del Piccolo Coro della Scuola Primaria di Mirandola (MO) e del Coro degli afasici Com’è Bello Cantar. Attualmente è anche codirettore artistico del festival per cori di voci bianche e giovanili Corinfesta e del concorso compositivo ad essa collegato (in partnership tra Fondazione Andreoli e Aerco).
The Jury
Tullio Visioli – Italy – President of the Jury
Tullio Visioli was born in Cremona (Italy). He is a composer, choral conductor, flutist and singer. He is a teacher of Musicology and Music education in Rome at the Lumsa University; he teaches Pedagogy of children vocality in Ravenna at the Masters of Education in Artistic Vocology and in Clinical Vocology and, in Rome, for the Master in Pedagogy. He conducts the Children’s Choir and teaches flute in Rome, at the Popular School of Music of Testaccio. In 2006 he created the integrated choir Voc’incòro for the ASL of Centocelle (Rome) and, since 2014, with a team of specialists, he has activated the Mani Bianche Roma Choir, inspired by the Venezuelan experiences (System Abreu, integration for the deaf). Active in writing new choral repertoires for children and teenagers, he has published compositions for children and youth choir and for flute, condensing his pedagogical vision in the books: VariAzioni, elementi per la didattica musicale (Anicia 2004) and Il Baule dei suoni (Multidea 2011). Speaker at conferences and study days on musical pedagogy, choral music, musical composition and phoniatrics, since 2018 he is one of the founders and promoters of the Association Il Jazz va a scuola. He is currently writing a book dedicated to children’s voices and choral singing.
Benedetta Nofri – Italy – Member of the Jury
Benedetta Nofri graduated in Choir conduction from the “F.A.Bonporti” Conservatory in Trento and then she specialized in Liturgic composition; she also graduated in Pedagogical Science from the University of Florence by combining research and practice in music education during her academic degrees. She has conducted several choral ensembles (Lux harmonica ensemble, Piccole Note children choir, Vox cordis male choir, …); with these choirs she has obtained several prizes at national and international competitions. From 2016 to 2019 she has been conducting the Tuscan Regional Youth Choir and won the second and third prize in the 2018 International May Choir Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. She has also conducted several ateliers at the “Festival di Primavera”, which takes place in Montecatini: this festival holds ateliers for school choirs. As a composer, she won two selections for new compositions for children choirs, organized by Feniarco for the edition of “Girogirocanto” magazine. She is a masterclass teacher for choir conductors and school music teachers in Italy and she is often part of juries in both choral and composition national contests. She was selected as a member of the Artistic Commission of Feniarco (Italian National Federation of Regional Choral Associations) in 2020.
Cinzia Zanon – Italy – Member of the Jury
Cinzia Zanon graduated in choral music and choral conducting under the guidance of Maestro Bruno Coltro. During his training, she followed specialization courses with internationally renowned teachers. The desire to convey the passion, the enthusiasm for singing and music in general, together with the conviction of the great educational value of making a choir, even for the little children, led her to specialize in music didactic branch, attending internships throughout Italy and then leading courses for children, teachers and choir directors. She is a member of commissions and juries in national and international competitions. Director of several choirs (female, mixed, children choirs) and instrumental ensembles, she has toured in America, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, China and in many countries of the European Union. From 2007 to 2015 she was a member of the Regional Artistic Commission of the ASAC and from 2014 to 2017 of the National Committee of FENIARCO. She is the creator and artistic director of national and international events such as Primavera Musicale – Incontri Corali Internazionali, Canticoro – Musica corale a Bassano, Poesia in Canto, Meeting nazionale per cori di voci bianche e giovanili a Bassano del Grappa. Among the most important awards we recall that she was awarded the special prize for conducting by the jury in 1999 at the International Choral Competition in Riva del Garda, the best director award in 2016 at the International Competition and in 2017 at the National Il Garda in Coro di Malcesine.
Fabio Pecci – Italy – Member of the Jury
Fabio Pecci studied violoncello at Ravenna’s “G. Verdi” Music School graduating with brilliant results. As a cellist his busy concert activity has led him to perform in theatres and concert halls in Italy and abroad. He has been awarded prizes in many competitions and has recorded seven CDs for Tactus, Bongiovanni and other labels. He founded and directs “Le Allegre Note” treble voice choir and “Note in Crescendo” youth choir, with which he has also performed in prestigious theatres. With these two choirs he has over 500 performances, audio and television recordings to his credit. With them he also recorded three albums which include his own choral arrangements. With Note in Crescendo he has held concerts in Germany, France, Switzerland, Poland, Sweden and in Czech Republic. With Le Allegre Note he also took part in the production of ‘Te Deum’ by H. Berlioz, held in Bologna in October 2008, under the direction of Claudio Abbado. He was responsible for the treble voices in the production of ‘Carmen’by G. Bizet and “Tosca” and Bohème by Puccini, in many theatres, as well as for ‘Carmina Burana’ by C. Orff, with the soloists of the Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome. He is an enthusiast of children’s vocalism and directs 5 children and youth choirs. As a choir director, he has received awards and gained recognition in many National and International Competitions, with eigth first prizes. Since 2013, he is a member of the Artistic Committee of AERCO – The Regional Choirs Association. He was a teacher at the “Spring Festival” by FENIARCO in Montecatini 2016 and 2017 and as conductor of the youth choir “Note In Crescendo” he represented the Emilia Romagna region at the National Choral Festival at ‘EXPO Milano 2015’. He is the Artistic Director of the “City of Riccione” Choral Competition and member of the Jury in many Choral Competitions.
Voicu Popescu – Italy – Member of the Jury
Voicu Popescu, a graduate of the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania, began his professional career as a member of the “Madrigal” National Chamber Choir and, later on, collaborated with it as choir master. In 1994 he founded the SOUND Choir, as well as the SOUND Cultural Foundation which enabled him to organise concert tours, festivals, and choral symposia and master classes. Between 1988 and 2004 he worked as assistant conductor of the Romanian Radio Children’s Choir, and from 2004 until 2018 he was the choir’s principal conductor. He made special recordings for the Romanian Radio’s Sound Archives and took part in vocal-symphonic concerts and many a cappella projects. His over 60 participations in artistic tours, festivals and international competitions (in Europe, USA, Canada and Japan) have earned him numerous medals and prizes, along with professional recognition from specialised critics. He has written articles, held choral art classes and been invited to be part of juries in national and international choral competitions. He has conducted choral workshops organised in various cultural centres by the following associations: Cantascuola (Turin), Cantica Nova (Milazzo), ARS Cori (Sicily), I Piccoli Cantori (Barcellona P.G.), AERCO (Emilia-Romagna), The Union of Moldavian Musician (Kishinev) COREARTE (Barcelona, Medellin, Rio de la Plata), and SODRE (Montevideo). He is mentioned in the following volumes: “The Madrigal Constellation” by Iosif Sava, “Madrigal or the Magic of Sounds” by Grigore Constantinescu, “The Spring of Music” by Grigore Constantinescu, “The Contemporary Who’s Who”, “Encyclopaedia of Romanian Personalities”, “20 Years of SOUND” by Dana-Irina Stanculea, and “Overview of Choral Conducting Art and Technique in Romanian Music” by Mariana Popescu.