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Ana Liz Ojeda Hernández is Accademia Bizantina’s leader of the second violins, a role she has been holding continuously since 2012.
Born in Valdivia, Chile, she began playing the violin at the age of seven, with her father. She then studied modern violin at Columbus College (USA) with Patricio Cobos and at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold in Germany with Marco Rizzi.
In 2003 she undertook an in-depth study of the historically informed performance practice of the 17th and 18th century repertoire and studied at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague with Ryo Terakado.
In 2005 she moved to Italy, becoming leader of the second violins in the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “Giuseppe Verdi”, conducted by Riccardo Chailly.
Since 2007 she has carried out an intense artistic activity of historically informed performances with Accademia Bizantina, conducted by Ottavio Dantone, playing concerts in the most prominent international venues.
In 2010, along with some members of Accademia Bizantina, she founded the ensemble “Il Tetraone”, a fortepiano quartet/quintet with which she recorded F. Schubert’s “La Trota” Quintet, L.v.Beethoven’s Quartet for fortepiano and strings Op. 16 and W.A.Mozart’s Quartets with Fortepiano KV 478 and KV 493 on NovAntiqua records.
She is regularly invited to collaborate with other early music ensembles in Italy and Europe.
In the teaching field, she regularly holds masterclasses and projects on baroque music in Chile.
A New Yorker with Japanese and British roots, at the age of 4 she knew she wanted to play the violin – a wish that came true a year later, when Lisa began her studies at the nation’s oldest public music school.
Lisa Ferguson was introduced to the world of ensemble music at the age of 10 at a summer camp in Maine, USA, which combined musical activities and outdoor sports. She attended the camp every year, gaining her first experiences in chamber music. During those years, she nurtured her dream of becoming an orchestra musician, to express the emotions that music offers, especially when it is played within a group and everyone can contribute to this unique expression. Her parents supported her and did everything they could to give her the opportunity to pursue this passion, which today allows her to work with the best musicians and orchestras in the world.
Lisa loves travelling, discovering nature, cooking, eating, reading and appreciating the fine arts, with her husband and son.
Maria was born in Moscow, where at the age of five she began her musical studies at the Gnesin College.
She then focused on the study of modern violin with Leonid Bulatov at the Gnesin Academy, where she also acted as a leader of the second violins in the Academy Orchestra. In 2010, she completed her studies with honours.
Her keen interest in early music led her to study baroque violin, attending master classes held by Ilia Korol, Elisabeth Blumenstock, Enrico Onofri, Enrico Gatti and Reinhard Goebel.
She studied early music at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, and then furthered her studies with Stefano Montanari at the Scuola Civica di Milano, where she graduated with top marks in 2016. She recently completed another specialisation course with Gianluca Febo at the Conservatory of Como, where she graduated with 110 cum laude.
She has won several international prizes, such as Moscow Violin Competition (2006), Austria Barock Akademie Music Award (2007 and 2009), Biber Competition (Austria 2011), Wanda Lasndowska Competition (Italy 2013), Lombardia è Musica (2021).
She collaborates on a regular basis with numerous baroque and modern orchestras in Italy and Europe, and also performs as a soloist and chamber musician.
She is an Argentine tango dancer.
Paolo Zinzani è nato a Faenza, ma è cresciuto e ha studiato a Ravenna, dove la famiglia si è trasferita per lavoro. Sin da bambino si sono delineate in lui due forti passioni: quella per le attività manuali, sognava infatti di fare il meccanico di biciclette, e quella per la musica, trasmessa dalla mamma e dal fratello.
Volendo unire le due passioni ha iniziato a studiare violino presso il Conservatorio G. Verdi di Ravenna. Qui si unisce a un gruppo di amici e studenti uniti dalla passione per la musica antica e, nel 1983, fondano insieme l’Accademia Bizantina. Dopo il diploma, nel 1986, continua la sua attività con Accademia Bizantina, che lo porterà a suonare nei più importanti festival e teatri in Europa e nel mondo.
Oggi continua a collaborare abitualmente con AB ed è docente di violino presso la Scuola Comunale di Musica “G.Sarti” e presso l’Istituto Comprensivo “Carchidio Strocchi” di Faenza.
È appassionato di moto e sogna, un giorno, di partire per esplorare “La via della seta”.
Mauro Massa was born in Caserta, where he began his violin studies with L. Simeone. He graduated in 2001 and from 2000 to 2002 he attended classes at the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana, specialising with F. Cusano, A. Milani and, for chamber music, P. Farulli.
From 2003 to 2005, he was a violinist with the Rome Symphony Orchestra; since 2005, he worked with the Orchestra Filarmonica Toscanini, the Orchestra L. Cherubini, and the Orchestra da camera della Campania, performing with R. Muti, Y. Temirkanov, Z. Mehta, R. Barshai, L. Piovano, A. Ciccolini, G. Oppitz, and A. Meneses, among others.
Having an interest in the study of historical performance practices, in 2010 he graduated in baroque violin at the Civica Scuola di Milano, under the guidance of S. Montanari. He attended a post graduate in violin and quartet with Alessandro Moccia in the classical and romantic repertoire, at the Conservatory of Gent, and attended ECMA courses held by H.Beyerle, J.Meissl, P.Jüdt and other international musicians.
Mauro often collaborates with Accademia Bizantina, I Barocchisti, La Risonanza, Les Musiciens du Prince,Concerto Romano, L’Arte dell’Arco, La Divina Armonia, Il Canto di Orfeo.
He is first violin of Quartetto Delfico, a string quartet on original instruments that combines the great classical repertoire with the performance and rediscovery of the Italian chamber music repertoire.
He is a great Naples football fan and loves baking.
Heriberto Delgado Gutiérrez was born in Hermosillo, Sonora state, Mexico.
He graduated with honours as a violin soloist from the University of Guadalajara, where he won first prize in the Higinio Rubalcaba violin competition.
In 2006, he joined the Guadalajara Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he participated twice as a youth soloist in the UDG.
In 2009, he moved to Italy to specialise in baroque music. He graduated from the Scuola Civica di Milano in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree and in 2015 with a Master’s degree in baroque violin with Maestro Stefano Montanari. He later attended advanced classes with maestros Enrico Onofri, Elisa Citterio and Nicholas Robinson.
Heriberto collaborates on a regular basis with orchestras such as Accademia Bizantina, Il Pomo d’Oro, Café Zimmermann, Concerto Italiano, Divino Sospiro, Modo Antiquo, La Barroca.
In 2014 and 2015 he was invited to the Istituto Diocesano di Musica Sacra in Florence as a baroque violin teacher at the advanced course in early music. Since 2016 he has been teaching classes in Guadalajara, in Mexico City for the AC Barroquísimo, in Monterrey for the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León and in Ciudad Obregón. In 2019, he was guest conductor at the Academy of Early Music of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (AMA-UNAM).
Born in Cagliari in 1988, Sara Meloni graduated in modern violin at her city’s conservatory under the guidance of Attilio Motzo. Her musical pursuits soon extended to the baroque repertoire with original instruments. She specialised cum laude in baroque and classical violin at the Conservatory of Rome, under the guidance of Luigi Mangiocavallo. She also graduated in Chamber Music in the class of harpsichordist Paola Poncet at the Conservatory of Piacenza.
Her concert activity has led her to work with symphony orchestras, opera houses and as a chamber musician on both modern and original instruments. She performed in major festivals and prestigious halls in Europe, Asia, South America and the United States.
She also regularly works with the orchestras Geneva Camerata (Geneva), Auser Musici (Pisa), La barocca (Milan), Academia Montis Regalis (Mondovì), Accademia Bizantina (Ravenna).
Since 2019, she has been the Artistic Director of the Ente Musicale di Nuoro for its Classical Music Season.
She has appeared in CD and DVD recordings for Glossa, Naxos, Dynamic, Sony Classical, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Deutsche Grammophon and in radio and television broadcasts for the most important national and European broadcasters.
Sara plays an ‘atelier Andreas Ferdinand Mayr’ violin from around 1760.
The child of artists, Gabriele Pro began studying the violin at a very young age with J. Hamza. He brilliantly graduated from the Conservatorio ‘A. Casella’ in L’Aquila and then went on to study baroque violin at the ‘A. Scarlatti’ Conservatory of Music in Palermo, under the guidance of Enrico Onofri. He graduated in Musicology from the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’ with a thesis on Giovanni Mossi’s violin sonatas.
His concert activity has seen him perform as soloist or in first-part roles in many festivals and concert seasons in Europe, the United States and Asia.
He has performed with numerous orchestral and chamber ensembles, including: Accademia Bizantina, Le Concert des Nations, Academia Montis Regalis, Ensemble Zefiro, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Concerto Romano, Aquila Altera, La Fonte Musica. He has worked with and been conducted by internationally renowned musicians such as: Jordi Savall, Enrico Onofri, Ottavio Dantone, Alfredo Bernardini, Antonio Florio, Alessandro Quarta. He has recorded for Sony, Glossa, Passacaille, Alia Vox, Arcanca, Brilliant, Tactus, Dynamic and for RAI radio, Orf, Wdr, BR-Klassik.
He is artistic director of the chamber orchestra Progetto Syntagma and founder of the ensemble Anima&Corpo.
Marco Massera graduated in viola at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan and quickly started his musical career in Italy.
He later moved to Paris, where he received a scholarship to the Ecole Normale de Musique, thus entering the vast French music scene.
He began working extensively in French orchestras and opera houses, such as the ONB in Rennes and the Orchestra of Caen, and with ensembles that played period instruments, such as Ensemble Artaserse, Ensemble Matheus, Cappella Gabetta, Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble, les Ambassadeurs, Orfeo 55, with whom he performed in the most prestigious halls and major theatres in Europe, Asia and the Americas.
In 2011, M. Minkowsky chose him as lead violist of his Les Musiciens du Louvre, expanding his symphonic, operatic and chamber music repertoire from the French Baroque to the early 20th century. Since the summer of 2019, he has been first viola of the Accademia Bizantina.
He has recorded for Sony, Universal, Deutsche Grammophon, Naïve and has held workshops and masterclasses at conservatories in Mexico City, Seoul, Taipei and Tianjin (China).
He plays an extremely rare 17th century Italian tenor viola, probably made in Venice.
Milanese classe 1977, Alice Bisanti si è diplomata in flauto traverso al Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano, sotto la guida di Marlaena Kessick, e in viola al Conservatorio Nicolini di Piacenza, con Wim Janssen. Si è perfezionata in viola con Simonide Braconi e all’Accademia del Teatro alla Scala di Milano.
Per oltre un decennio ha ricoperto il ruolo di prima viola dell’Orchestra da Camera Milano Classicae.
Ha intrapreso un percorso di approfondimento della prassi esecutiva del XVII-XIX secolo all’Accademia Internazionale della Musica di Milano (Scuola Civica), sotto la guida di Gianni De Rosa.
Entra quindi a far parte del circuito europeo della early music, che la porta a collaborare con gruppi di prestigio internazionale, quali il Giardino Armonico, Cappella Gabetta, Les Musiciens du Prince, La Verdi Barocca, Ghislieri Choir & Consort, con cui si è esibita nelle grandi sale da concerto di tutto il mondo.
Nel 2008 ha debuttato con Accademia Bizantina, diventandone membro stabile e prendendo parte all’intera attività concertistica e discografica, condividendone la visione, la ricerca estetica e lo spirito.
Ha inciso per le principali case discografiche: Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Sony, Warner Music, Novantiqua Records, Outhere, Stradivarius, Onix, Naive, Velut Luna, Tactus, BMG.
Nel 2010, in seno ad Accademia Bizantina, insieme a Valeria Montanari (fortepiano), Ana Liz Ojeda (violino), Paolo Ballanti (violoncello) e Giovanni Valgimigli (contrabbasso) ha fondato l’ensemble “Il Tetraone”.
Alice Bisanti è ideatrice, fondatrice e direttrice di Accademia Bizantina Camp, un grande campus estivo di musica e teatro, che si svolge a Bagnacavallo dal 2014, in cui esprime la sua passione per la formazione musicale dei giovani.
Suona una viola Josephus Rauch del 1789 e una viola Marco Minnozzi del 2015.
Ana Liz Ojeda Hernández è spalla dei violini secondi di Accademia Bizantina, ruolo che ricopre ininterrottamente dal 2012.
Nata a Valdivia, in Cile, inizia a suonare il violino a sette anni con suo padre. Intraprende poi gli studi di violino moderno presso il Columbus College (USA) con Patricio Cobos e la Hochschule für Musik Detmold in Germania con Marco Rizzi.
Nel 2003 inizia un percorso di approfondimento sulla prassi esecutiva storica del repertorio del Seicento e Settecento e studia al Conservatorio Reale de L’Aja con Ryo Terakado.
Nel 2005 viene in Italia diventando spalla dei violini secondi dell’Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “Giuseppe Verdi”, diretta da Riccardo Chailly.
Dal 2007 svolge un’intensa attività artistica di performance storicamente informate con Accademia Bizantina, diretta da Ottavio Dantone, con concerti nelle più importanti sale internazionali.
Nel 2010 insieme ad alcuni membri di Accademia Bizantina ha fondato l’ensemble “Il Tetraone”, quartetto/quintetto col fortepiano con cui ha inciso il Quintetto “La Trota” di F. Schubert, il Quartetto per fortepiano e archi Op. 16 di L.v.Beethoven e i Quartetti col Fortepiano KV 478 e KV 493 di W.A.Mozart per NovAntiqua records.
Invitata frequentemente a collaborare con altri ensemble di musica antica in Italia e Europa.
In ambito didattico tiene regolarmente masterclass e progetti di musica barocca in Cile.
Born in 1974, first prize in baroque cello at the CNSM in Paris in Christophe Coin’s class, Emmanuel Jacques is first cello of Accademia Bizantina and of the French baroque orchestra Les Talens Lyriques, conducted by Christophe Rousset.
He regularly works with Café Zimmermann (C. Frisch/P. Valetti), Le concert des Nations (J. Savall), Hollande Baroque (J&T. Steenbrink) and has collaborated since 2004 with Les Basses réunies (B. Cocset). Since 2012 he has also been first cello in the Insula Orchestra, conducted by Laurence Equilbey. He is a founding member of the Ruggieri Quartet, created in 2007, with which he recorded two CDs of George Onslow’s quartets (agOgique label, 2012, Aparté 2015).
Emmanuel Jacques recorded Onslow’s complete cello and piano sonatas for the Mirare label and a version for string quartet and baritone of the Winter Journey cycle for the Muso label, with his ensemble Les Heures du jour, founded in 2017.
After graduating in Ravenna with I. Rizzi, with full marks and honours, Paolo Ballanti perfected his studies at the Accademia Internazionale Superiore di Musica “L.Perosi” in Biella, with A. Vendramelli, earning the International Academic Diploma both as soloist and as chamber musician with full marks. He attended P.N. Masi’s chamber music courses and obtained the International Diploma of the Accademia Musicale di Firenze.
In 1985 he founded the ‘Ravennensemble’, an ensemble he has carried out intense concert activity with, winning several national and international chamber music competitions.
He is a member and founder of Accademia Bizantina and plays an active role in its artistic activity, achieving prestigious awards in Italy and abroad and contributing to numerous recording projects.
As a member of the ‘Trovesi Nonet’ he took part in some of the most important European Jazz Festivals and recorded the CD ‘Round about a midsummer’s dream’ on the Enja label.
For many years, he has been interested in ancient music and its performance with original instruments; in 2010, he and a few of his fellow Accademia Bizantina musicians founded “Il Tetraone”, a piano quartet/quintet with original instruments, which received public and critical acclaim in just a few years and recorded two CDs for NovAntiqua records.
He teaches cello at the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali ‘G. Verdi’ in Ravenna.
Alessandro Palmeri
He trained at the cellist school in Palermo, later attending numerous advanced masterclasses.
He has performed as first cello and as soloist in Europe, Russia, Canada, the United States, South America, Israel, Japan and China for renowned musical institutions such as the Warsaw International Festival of Contemporary Music, Nuova Consonanza, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Festival Scarlatti, Radiotelevisione Svizzera Italiana, Blumental Festival in Tel Aviv, St. Petersburg International Festival, New York University, Bologna Festival, Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Festival Vancouver, Festival Innsbruck, Teatre des Champs Elysees, Fukuoka Festival, Bunka Kaykan in Tokyo, Lufthansa Festival, San Francisco Conservatory, Lincoln Center in New York.
He has been a regular collaborator with the chamber orchestra “Gli Armonici” and with the “Zephir Ensemble”, with whom he has carried out an interesting journey into 20th century and contemporary music and improvisation through the “Music on several dimensions” workshops and numerous premiere performances.
In the 1990s, he approached the Baroque repertoire with original instruments, attending courses at the Cini Foundation in Venice and through collaborations with various early music ensembles such as Auser Musici, Studio di musica antica Antonio Il Verso, La Venexiana, Cantica Simphonia, Les Elementes, Les Musiciens du Prince, Bozen Baroque Orchestra, L’Astrée and Academia Montis Regalis, I Barocchisti, working with musicians such as Savall, Kuiyken, Coin, Onofri, De Marchi, Astronio, Fasolis, Bartoli, Dantone.
In 2006, he founded Il Ricercar Continuo, an ensemble specialising in the baroque repertoire for bass instruments.
He collaborates regularly with Imaginarium, I Barocchisti and Accademia Bizantina.
He took an active part in the Vivaldi Project, a collaboration with the Institute for Musical Heritage of Piedmont and the Naive record company, to record the Vivaldi manuscripts preserved in the National Library of Turin.
In June 2009, he was invited to play first cello in the Orchestra Mozart conducted by Claudio Abbado.
He performed as first cello soloist in the Cipango Consort orchestra in Tokyo.
He has recorded for Tactus, Florentia Musicae, Stradivarius, Symphonia, Amadeus, Opus 111, Naive, ZigZag, Hyperion, Harmonia Mundi, Deutch Grammofone, Brilliant, Passacaille.
He is regularly invited to hold Baroque cello masterclasses and training workshops at Italian and international music institutions.
His instruments include a precious Roman violone, which was one of the instruments of Arcangelo Corelli’s orchestra.
Nicola Dal Maso graduated in Venice under the guidance of Gianni Amadio, first double bass at La Fenice. He studied violone in G and violone grosso with Alberto Rasi and Guido Balestracci in Italy and with Richard Myron in Paris.
He has played with conductors Jordi Savall, Christophe Coin, Claudio Abbado, Stefano Montanari, Ton Koopman, Christopher Hogwood, Bartold and Sigiswald Kuijken, Fabio Biondi, Christophe Rousset, Anner Bylsma and Reinhard Goebel.
He is currently first double bass in Italy with Accademia Bizantina, conducted by Ottavio Dantone, and with the ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro, conducted by Maxim Emalyanychev; in France with the Concert D’Astrée conducted by Emmanuelle Haim. In Germany he has been playing for over 10 years with the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble, conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock.
He has recorded for Decca, Naive, HDB Sonus, Erato, Warner Classics, Denon, Virgin Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi Fr, Symphonia, Arts Music, Opus 111, K 617 and Emi Virgin.
From 1993 to 1999 he was a double bass teacher at Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano.
Over the past 15 years, he has been playing both the early repertoire with violone and historical double bass, and the romantic orchestral, solo and chamber repertoire.
He plays on a 1716 Vincenzo Ruggeri double bass, on a violone in G Gianluca Pierrozzi and on a violone in D Sergio Gistri, both based on a 1590 Gasparo da Salò ex Dragonetti model.
Giovanni Valgimigli graduated in double bass in 1983 at the G. Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro with full marks under the guidance of Maestro Luciano Tamburini.
He is a member of Accademia Bizantina, with which he has played in the most important Italian and international concert venues.
Since 2010 he and some members of Accademia Bizantina have been part of Il Tetraone, a quartet/quintet fortepiano ensemble that performs 18th and 19th century masterpieces using period instruments.
He has worked with a number of other early music groups: Europa Galante, Les Talens Lyriques in Paris, Ensemble Anciuti, The Drottningholm Theatre Orchestra in Stockholm, Ensemble Zefiro, I Barocchisti, Harmonicus Concentus.
He has recorded for the labels Decca, Onyx, Denon Nippon Columbia, Fonè, Tactus, Ambroisie, Naïve and NovAntiqua
He has been teaching double bass at the ”Bruno Maderna” Conservatory in Cesena since 1993.
After completing his double bass studies with honours at the Conservatorio ‘B. Maderna’ in Cesena, in the class of G. Valgimigli, Luca Bandini worked with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini later Symphonica Toscanini, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, Filarmonica della Scala, under the conduction of Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Georges Prêtre, Zubin Mehta. He still collaborates with the Mantua Chamber Orchestra.
His interest in historically informed performance pratice led him to specialise in the 17th and 18th century repertoire on period instruments, playing the baroque double bass, violone and piccolo violone.
He performs with Accademia Bizantina, conducted by Ottavio Dantone, the Ensemble Concerto Scirocco, Kammerorchester Basel, I Barocchisti conducted by Diego Fasolis, Luca Pianca.
He teaches double bass at the Conservatorio ‘G. Verdi’ in Ravenna.
Tiziano Bagnati studied music composition with Irlando Danieli at the Conservatorio ‘G.Verdi’ in Milan, where he graduated in classical guitar with Ruggero Chiesa. He focused on ancient performance practice, studying lute and theorbo with Paolo Cherici, Jacob Lindberg, and Hopkinson Smith, graduating with honours from the Conservatory of Milan.
He performs as a soloist and in several instrumental ensembles.
He regularly collaborates with Accademia Bizantina, Europa galante, Concerto Italiano, Complesso Barocco.
He performed as a continuoist in baroque operas staged by opera houses, including Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Comunale in Florence, Comunale in Treviso, La Fenice in Venice, Massimo in Palermo, Semper Opera in Dresden, working with conductors such as A. Curtis, N.Roger, R.Muti, F.Biondi, G.Garrido, J.Savall, O.Dantone, R.Alessandrini, R.Clemencic, K.Montgomery.
He has recorded for EMI, Virgin Classic, Ricordi, Tactus, Timallus, Sarx, Opus 111, Naïve, Harmonia Mundi, Stradivarius.
He taught lute at the Music Conservatories of Parma, Vicenza and Milan. He currently teaches lute at the Conservatorio B. Marcello in Venice.
Stefano Demicheli was René Jacobs’ harpsichord assistant for over five years, taking part in his opera productions across Europe. As a result, he acquired extensive experience as maestro al cembalo and singer instructor, in which capacity he is now in demand at many theatres.
In 2004, he founded the ensemble La Tempesta (now Dolce & Tempesta), of which he is conductor. With Dolce & Tempesta he carries out an extensive concert activity and records exclusively for the Brussels-based record company Fuga Libera.
In 2010 he was named permanent conductor of the baroque orchestra Academia 1750 in Barcelona, a resident ensemble at the Festival de músiques de Torroella de Montgrí. Since 2012, he has been music director of the youth orchestra Talenti vulcanici, a baroque orchestral training project set up by the Fondazione Pietà dei Turchini in Naples, with which he won the 2019 Abbiati prize of the Italian music critics as best musical initiative.
He worked with many renowned soloists and conductors (Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Corrado Rovaris, Gottfried van der Goltz, Ivor Bolton, Giovanni Antonini, Paul Goodwin, Renè Jacobs, Ottavio Dantone) and with all the major Italian symphony orchestras. His intense concert activity has led him to perform regularly in prestigious concert halls and festivals all over the world. He has been a soloist at La Scala Theatre in Milan and a guest in television programmes for RAI 5 such as Passpartout (invited by Philippe Daverio) and Petruška (invited by Michele Dall’Ongaro).
He is a passionate teacher. He has taught harpsichord, basso continuo and chamber music at the Corsi Internazionali di Musica Antica in Urbino (FIMA) and several Italian conservatories. He is regularly called upon to hold masterclasses at several institutions in various countries, including the Montreal Conservatory and Tafel Musik in Toronto (Canada). He currently teaches at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica ‘G. Verdi’ in Turin.
Valeria Montanari
Valeria Montanari is a harpsichordist, organist, pianist and fortepianist. She graduated with honours in Piano at the “Giuseppe Verdi” Institute in Ravenna, with honours in Organ and Organ Composition under the guidance of Francesco Tasini, and with honours in Harpsichord under the guidance of Silvia Rambaldi at the “Girolamo Frescobaldi” Conservatory of Music in Ferrara, and finally with honours in Fortepiano with Maestro Fiuzzi at the Piano Academy in Imola. She graduated with honours at DAMS in Bologna, specialising in music. She further specialised at master classes held by Maestros Claudio Astronio, Gordon Murray, Christophe Rousset and Ottavio Dantone and at seminars held by Emilia Fadini and Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini.
She won several prizes in international competitions both as a soloist and as a continuist. She has taken part in many concerts and festivals, both as a soloist and as a continuist with numerous chamber music ensembles, orchestras and conductors specialising in ancient performance practice.
She collaborates as a continuist with the prestigious Accademia Bizantina, directed by Ottavio Dantone, for which she is also a piano and harpsichord teacher at Accademia Bizantina Camp, a music and theatre summer camp for children.
Keen on exploring the chamber music repertoire for historical piano and strings, she founded the ensemble ‘Il Tetraone’ together with other Accademia Bizantina musicians.
Her interests extend to other musical genres, from African folk music with the Classica Orchestra Afrobeat conducted by Marco Zanotti, to Jazz with clarinettist G. Trovesi.
She has recorded for the Tactus, NovAntiqua Records, Bongiovanni, Sidecar and Amadeus Paragon labels.
With her brother Stefano Montanari, violinist and conductor, she was involved in the production of a documentary DVD on the baroque violin ‘Le violon en Italie’, a project by musicologist and violinist Constance Frei.
She is harpsichordist accompanist for the Renaissance and Baroque singing classes and for the activities of the early music departments of the Music Conservatories ‘G. B. Martini’ in Bologna, where she also teaches Basso Continuo Practice, and ‘G. Frescobaldi’ in Ferrara.
In September 2021 she performed at the Haydn Festival Eisenstadt (Austria) as harpsichord assistant to Maestro Enrico Onofri in the opera “Lo speziale” by F. J. Haydn.
She currently teaches Theory and Practice of the Basso Continuo at the Conservatorio di Musica B. Marcello in Venice.
Elisabeth Baumer è nata a Klagenfurt, in Austria. Ha iniziato a dedicarsi alla musica a quattro anni, studiando flauto dolce e pianoforte, e ha ottenuto riconoscimenti nei concorsi Jugend musiziert Österreich. Ha proseguito la sua formazione alla Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Wien e si è specializzata in oboe barocco sotto la guida di Marie Wolf, Paolo Grazzi e Andrea Mion a Vienna, Milano, Verona e Terni.
Nel 2004 è stata selezionata per la European Union Baroque Orchestra di Lars Ulrik Mortensen. Nello stesso anno ha iniziato la collaborazione con Accademia Bizantina.
Collabora anche con altre orchestre barocche, con cui si è esibita nelle sale più prestigiose di tutto il mondo. Tra queste, il Concentus Musicus Wien (Nikolaus Harnoncourt/Stefan Gottfried), L’Orfeo Barockorchester & Bläserensemble (Michi Gaigg/Carin van Heerden), Barokkanerne Oslo, Les Musiciens du Louvre (Marc Minkowski), Les Arts florissants (William Christie) e Il Pomo d’oro.
Ha partecipato all’esecuzione integrale delle cantate di Bach dirette da Luca Pianca alla Wiener Konzerthaus.
Ha lavorato in numerose incisioni, tra cui i concerti per violino di Mozart con Giuliano Carmignola e l’Orchestra Mozart (Claudio Abbado) e l’Oratorio di Natale di Bach con il Concentus Musicus e Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Dal 2012 Elisabeth si esibisce come direttrice di “Affinità Ensemble für Alte Musik” con cui, oltre agli inviti di vari festival, gestisce una propria serie di concerti a Vienna. Il disco di debutto “Venice and beyond” (Arcana 2020) ha ricevuto delle ottime recensioni nella stampa internazionale.
Rei Ishizaka è laureata in oboe moderno all’Università delle arti di Kyoto.
Nel 1999 ha iniziato a studiare oboe barocco alla Civica Scuola di Musica di Milano con Paolo Grazzi, proseguendo poi al Conservatorio di Verona.
Collabora con prestigiose orchestre di musica antica, tra cui Accademia Bizantina (Ottavio Dantone), Europa Galante (Fabio Biondi), Ensemble Zefiro (Alfredo Bernardini), Venice Baroque Orchestra (Andrea Marcon), Il Complesso Barocco (Alan Curtis) e La Cappella De’Turchini (Antonio Florio).
Ha partecipato a numerose registrazioni per diverse emittenti radiofoniche e per le principali case discografiche, come Naïve, Decca, Virgin, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Erato, Glossa e Tactus. Si è esibita in noti teatri in Italia e all’estero, tra cui Teatro La Fenice di Venezia, Santa Cecilia di Roma, Concertgebouw di Amsterdam, Wiener Konzerthaus, Philharmonie Berlin, Teatro Real di Madrid, Opéra de Lausanne, Shanghai Concerto Hall, Lincoln Center di New York. Di recente ha eseguito da solista diversi concerti di Vivaldi all’Opéra royal de Versailles, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées e Hagia Eirene di Istanbul
Diplomato in fagotto ai conservatori di musica di Padova e Ginevra, Alberto Guerra si dedica da più di quarant’anni all’attività concertistica, di insegnamento e di ricerca filologica sul proprio strumento – e il tutto sarebbe veramente troppo lungo da raccontare.
Vive felicemente in una casa isolata sui Colli Euganei, con i suoi amati animali e coltivando il proprio uliveto.
Luca Marzano si è diplomato a presso il Conservatorio “L. Cherubini” di Firenze con Walter Carpano. Dopo anni di collaborazioni con orchestre “moderne”, si è dedicato allo studio della tromba barocca con Gabriele Cassone presso la Civica Scuola di Musica di Milano.
Ha partecipato a numerosissimi festival e stagioni in tutto il mondo. Attualmente collabora con Accademia Bizantina, Europa Galante e Giardino Armonico.
È docente di tromba moderna e tromba barocca presso il Conservatorio di Musica “G. Puccini” di La Spezia.
Ama la natura e le moto di qualsiasi marca, anno e cilindrata.
Compiuti gli studi musicali al Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano, Jonathan Pia ha intrapreso lo studio della tromba barocca col M° Cassone e in seguito col M° Tarred e il M° Madeuf (Schola Cantorum Basiliensis). Ha poi conseguito con lode la Laurea di II livello in tromba (Conservatorio di Novara).
Apprezzato esecutore di tromba e tromba barocca, dal 1997 collabora regolarmente con numerosi ensemble e orchestre specializzati nel repertorio barocco, classico e contemporaneo. Ha effettuato numerose registrazioni per importanti case discografiche.
Dal 1998 fa parte del Divertimento Ensemble. Suona in duo con Alessandra Molena al pianoforte. È fondatore dell’Ensemble Ottoni Romantici. Nel 2002, vincitore al Concorso Internazionale di Chieri, ha eseguito il Concerto per tromba di F.J. Haydn, accompagnato dall’Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino.
Musicista ampiamente versatile, spazia dai capolavori del barocco (II Concerto Brandeburghese BWV 1047 di Bach con la tromba naturale) alla musica contemporanea (Sequenza X di Berio). Si è laureato col massimo dei voti in Musicologia presso l’Università degli Studi di Pavia.
Ricercatore e musicologo, collabora con diverse case editrici musicali: Carisch, Musedita, Spaeth & Schmid, ecc. È docente di Tromba rinascimentale e barocca al Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano.
Paolo Zinzani was born in Faenza, but grew up and studied in Ravenna, where his family relocated for work. Ever since he was a child, he has had two great passions: that of craftsmanship, as he dreamed of being a bicycle mechanic, and that of music, passed on to him by his mother and brother.
Wanting to merge the two passions, he started studying violin at the G. Verdi Conservatory in Ravenna. Here he teamed up with a group of friends and students who shared a common love for ancient music and, in 1983, they founded Accademia Bizantina together. After graduating in 1986, he pursued his activities with Accademia Bizantina, which led him to perform in the major festivals and theatres in Europe and around the world.
Today he still regularly collaborates with AB and teaches violin at the “G.Sarti” Municipal School of Music and at the “Carchidio Strocchi” Comprehensive Institute in Faenza.
He is fond of motorbikes and dreams of one day setting off to explore ‘The Silk Road’.
Alice Bisanti
Born in Milan in 1977, Alice Bisanti graduated in flute at the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Milan, under the guidance of Marlaena Kessick, and in viola at the Conservatorio Nicolini in Piacenza, with Wim Janssen. She specialised in viola with Simonide Braconi and at the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala in Milan.
For over a decade she was first viola in the Orchestra da Camera Milano Classicae.
She began an in-depth study of 17th-19th century performance practice at the Accademia Internazionale della Musica di Milano (Scuola Civica), under the guidance of Gianni De Rosa.
She then became part of the European early music scene, which led her to work with internationally renowned ensembles, such as Giardino Armonico, Cappella Gabetta, Les Musiciens du Prince, La Verdi Barocca, Ghislieri Choir & Consort, with whom she performed in major concert halls around the world.
In 2008 she made her debut with Accademia Bizantina and became a permanent member, participating in the orchestra’s entire concert and recording activities, sharing its vision, aesthetic research and spirit.
She recorded for the major labels: Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Sony, Warner Music, Novantiqua Records, Outhere, Stradivarius, Onix, Naive, Velut Luna, Tactus, BMG.
In 2010, within Accademia Bizantina, she founded the ensemble ‘Il Tetraone’ with Valeria Montanari (fortepiano), Ana Liz Ojeda (violin), Paolo Ballanti (cello) and Giovanni Valgimigli (double bass).
Alice Bisanti is the creator, founder and director of Accademia Bizantina Camp, a major music and theatre summer camp held in Bagnacavallo since 2014, where she conveys her love for the musical education of young people.
She plays a 1789 Josephus Rauch viola and a 2015 Marco Minnozzi viola.
