Playing all Beethoven String Quartets in a concerts serie and/or making a recording from them is surely one of the main dreams of all seriously working quartets. Those works, that include all the richness of human mind, are often found as ”Quartets ofThe Quartets” or ”most profound group of pieces in Western music”. They are technically and musically most demanding and use all the possibilities of the ensemble in an amazing way.

Because of the status and importance of these works, most of the very best string quartets have realized these dreams- and very often in a marvellous way. Surely most chamber music enthusiasts know the Beethoven recordings of the greatest quartets of our time. The new ones, who will record them again, have to have especially much courage and individual perspectives to these masterworks when beginning the project.

Filippo Faes will hold a masterclass in Rostock, at the end of August (piano + chamber music, with the possibility of rehearsing and playing with the orchestra) Read more >>

He will also be leading a series of multidisciplinary concert lectures (Sparks). More information >>

Since October 2012 Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona has launched second year Specialization Course for String Quartet, held by Quartetto di Cremona, in residence at Fondazione Teatro Ponchielli, which hosts all the lessons from October to June.

Again a high number of enrolments for this second academic year: nine groups overall, divided in seven string quartets, one piano quartet and one string trio.

So many applications are the proof that young musicians are still eager to undertake the study of the wide chamber music repertoire, although the huge crisis in this sector as well as in Italian musical culture.

The nine groups, created long before the enrolment, express the strong wish to maintain the Italian chamber music tradition still alive, seriously and professionally dealing with a life "as a Quartet".

Four of the quartets enrolled in 2012-2013 had already attended the specialization course during academic year 2011-2012, meeting with unanimous success both at Teatro Ponchielli in occasion of the concert "Omaggio a Cremona" (May 2012) and in many Italian concert societies.

Among the most important achievements, Quartetto Noûs is really worth mentioning. In a few months this young string quartet has already gained a great success debuting in the season "I Concerti del Quirinale" (Quirinale's Concerts) in Rome (concert live broadcasted on national Rai-Radio 3) and invited by Amici della Musica (Friends of Music) in Palermo. Moreover, Quartetto Noûs, the only Italian chamber group among seventy-four from all over the world, has been recently selected by Monteleón Chamber Music Festival in León (Spain) to perform in various concerts during December.

In the upcoming months many of the quartets enrolled at Stauffer Academy will be involved in concerts in several Italian concert halls. Thus demonstrating that in our country there is still place for institutions wishing to help young chamber groups in learning by direct experience on stage which is one of the most important part of musical training.

In just two years Stauffer Academy has been confirmed as an outstanding educational institution also for string quartet, offering high level courses completely charge-free.

Upon request and for a limited number of people, listeners are admitted at Quartetto di Cremona's lessons at Teatro Ponchielli.

Just ended in Italy the first edition of Chamber Music in Italy, chamber music workshop that took place in Forio d'Ischia, a small island in front of Naples. Teachers were Serguei Mesropian, Claudio Cavallaro, Giuseppe Devastato and Cristina Cavalli (also artistic director), coming from Armenia, Spain and Italy. The workshop had the moral support of italian Regione Campania and spanish Fundacion Eutherpe, presided by Margarita Morais.

During two weeks, from August 1st to 14th, professors and students worked closely to prepare the evening concerts. On a terrace with an magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea (thanks to the beautiful location of our host Hotel Providence) they played many chamber works, from Mozart to Baermann, from Granados to some contemporary music.

One of the main features of Chamber Music in Italy is the renaissance and diffusion of Neapolitan Masters' music, from Leo, Scarlatti, Pergolesi to the present. The last concert closed with a world première, "Tarantella Criptica", by the Neapolitan composer Giuseppe Devastato. "Tarantella Criptica" was played by the American clarinetist Joseph Rosen (who the composition is dedicated to), the Armenian cellist Serguei Mesropian, and the italian pianist Cristina Cavalli. Tarantella is a typical Neapolitan dance, also very common in the south of Italy; the composer intention was a homage to the performers' nationalities. There are Armenian, American and Neapolitan themes used throughout the composition, to suggest a musical message about peace and collaboration between different countries and cultures.

From Aldo Campagnari, a summer camp for musicians with techers from Europe and USA running between 1 and 22 July 2012 in Umbria.

More information: www.narniafestival.com

For the 2012-2013 academic year the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole is establishing a new Chamber Music Department with the following professors: Bruno Canino, Natalia Gutman, Andrea Lucchesini, Trio di Parma, Pavel Vernikov.

Each participating group can have lessons with one professor or various lessons with all members of the Department. The new Department is part of an exchange project with HEMU of Sion, Switzerland, director: Jan Dobrzelewski.

1. Course for cellists with monthly meetings in Rome - teachers Prof. Michael Flaksman and Prof. Jelena Ocic. Accademia Internazionale Musicale di Roma. Information: Eleonora Malavasi, secretary (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
2. Chamber Music Festival "Carl Orff" in Putignano, Apulien, Italy, September 2012 - Artistic Directors Michael Flaksman and Vito Amatulli. Information from V. Amatulli (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
3. Chamber Music Festival "Ascoli Piceno Festival" in Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy, September 2012 - Artistic Director Michael Flaksman. Information from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
4. Newly released CD (Challenge Classics) with Jelena Ocic, cello and Federico Lovato, piano. The CD contains: Ignaz Moscheles Preludes based on J.S. Bach, L.v. Beethoven "Kreutzer Sonata" in Carl Czerny's version for cello and piano, Hindemith Sonata op.11 no.3

The Scuola di Musica di Fiesole is the dream of a great musician who was so enamoured with the deep sea of music that he felt the urgency to share this extraordinary cultural heritage with all of his fellow citizens. Italy has been for many centuries a synonym with music, but this primacy has slowly faded and musical language has become an unknown expression for most Italians: an unforgivable waste that Piero Farulli wanted to remedy in concrete terms by offering the keys to this secret world to everyone. Therefore in two rooms in Fiesole, as guest of the local Band, the viola of the never forgotten Quartetto Italiano founded a small School open to both children and adults who wished to make music either as a profession or simply as a passion.

We are pleased to announce a workshop in solo piano and chamber music with Professor Roberto Galletto, December 8-11 2011 at the Accademia Musicale "Ludus Tonalis" di Riano (situated just outside of Rome). The last day of the workshop will feature a Final Concert with the most promising participants. During the workshop there will also be a selection of participants to perform in the concert season of the Accademia for 2012. At the discretion of the workshop instructor, participants may also perform in 2 concerts on December 9 and 10. 

Professor Galletto teaches at the Conservatorio "S.Cecilia" di Roma and has a long career as a concert artist. He recently taught masterclasses at the prestigious Academy "I. Pederewski" in Poznan, and was a guest at the Dutch Classical Music Meeting and the Amsterdam Conservatory in the fall of 2011.

• masterclass announcement
• inscription form

http://www.amadeusonline.net

The September issue of Amadeus features a cd of the Prometeo Quartet playing the Schumann Opus 41 quartets, as well as in depth articles about Schumann, the writing of these quartets, and the career of the Prometeo. Excerpts from the cd can be listened to online:
http://www.amadeusonline.net/mp3/Schu0911.mp3

14th International Chamber Music Course for Young String Players
27th July-7th August 2011 - Pra Catinat, Torino (Italy)

• Special guest: Rohan de Saram
• Honorary President: Dr. Hugh Maguire

The course programme consists of four daily classes two quartet sessions, one mixed group (trio/quintet/octet) and a chamber orchestra session. Every student plays in three different groups, each one coached by a different member of the teaching staff. Specific programmes are devised for established quartets (trios/quintets) who wish attend the course. At the end of the two weeks, all students will participate in both Passeggiata musicale at the San Carlo Fortress of Fenestrelle and in the Final Concert.

http://www.xeniaensemble.it/eng/courses/presentation.php

www.quartettodicremona.it

• Quartetto di Cremona just signed a contract with the German label AUDITE to record all the Beethoven String Quartets in the next three years.
• Starting from next October, the Quartetto di Cremona will teach string quartet and chamber music for strings with piano in the prestigious international Walter Stauffer Academy, whose faculty includes Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Giuranna and Rocco Filippini. Auditions will take place in October.

For complete information: http://www.fondazionestauffer.eu/accademia.htm

Simone Gramaglia, violist of the Quartetto di Cremona, writes:

"Master4Strings, courses for viola and chamber music founded by Simone Gramaglia and his wife Roberta Ardito, is starting its 3rd season. Based in Bari and completely financed by private funds, the program is designed to provide the highest possible level of training to young and gifted musicians in southern Italy with limited financial resources. The program has grown and this year counts 10 viola students and 5 chamber music groups. This year there will also be a guest teacher every month."

Starting in October Simone Gramaglia (violist of the Quartetto di Cremona) will also be teaching viola for his second year at the Scuola Di Musica Di Fiesole. His wife, Roberta, will be his assistant. “In order to try to bring Italy near to other European nations, we'll start to teach viola directly to young children. We'll have 5 or 6 children in our class between 4 and 7 years of age that will start immediately with the viola. We obtained violas and viola strings specially made for children. It will be probably the first viola class in where is possible to study viola from the beginning, outside of Suzuki programs, developing immediately the sensibility for the sound and the role of this wonderful instrument. The idea is to write also a viola tutor in Italian language, which for the moment does not exist. All suggestions and experiences are welcome!”

...their first International Festival of String Quartets, in Sicily.

Take a look at the flyer >>