Romano Gandolfi International Competition for Choral Conductors
On the occasion of the fourth edition of the ‘Romano Gandolfi’ International Choir Director Competition, we would like to offer the opportunity to participate in the event from a special angle, with the valuable guidance of an experienced teacher-director.
The initiative, already in use in important national and international contexts, aims to involve choral conductors and choral conducting students in a training and in-depth course that allows them to analyze a plurality of situations, experiences, repertoires, in a high-profile international context.
It will be possible to follow all the competition rounds (preliminaries, semifinals and finals) with reserved access and guaranteed seating within the various competition venues (Conservatorio di Parma, Auditorium del Carmine di Parma).
There will also be specific moments of debate and analysis, outside the competition hours, led by the Study Tour teacher, Maestro Michele Napolitano. An opportunity, therefore, not only for listening but also for in-depth analysis and sharing aimed at personal and professional growth.
The program will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, and will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 30, with the awards ceremony scheduled for 10:15 p.m.
The cost of participation is €60 for AERCO/FENIARCO/ANDCI members and €80 for non-members and includes complete PDF scores, “sample” mode.
There is a maximum number of 20 participants, selected according to the order of registration.
Michele Napolitano
Michele Napolitano works as a choir conductor, singer and composer. He graduated in Choral Music and Choir Conducting at the Conservatorio “G. B. Martini” in Bologna with M° P. P. Scattolin and perfected his studies with M° R. Rasmussen at the Conservatory of Music in Tromso (Norway), thanks to a scholarship from the De Sono Association of Turin. In 2006 he studied conducting and composition at the Conservatory of Music in Krakow (Poland), thanks to a scholarship from the “F. Venezze” Conservatory of Music in Rovigo, at which – in 2010 – he obtained a Level II Biennium in Vocal Composition and Choir Conducting. In 2003 he graduated with honors from Dams Musica of the University of Bologna. In 2005 he was selected as the only Italian finalist in the fifth edition of the International Competition for Choral Conductors “Mariele Ventre” (ed. 2005). He has taught the disciplines of Choral Composition and Choral Conducting, Choral Exercises and Choral Conducting and Choral Repertoire for Music Education at the Conservatories of Como (a.a. 2009/10), Perugia (a.a. 2010/11), Cagliari (from a.a. 2012/13 to 2016/17) and Potenza (a.a. 2017/18). He currently teaches Choral Composition and Choir Conducting at the “G. Frescobaldi” Conservatory of Music in Ferrara. He has also been collaborating for several years with the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, for which he holds training courses and workshops in choral music.
He is director and founder of the following ensembles:
– “MIKROKOSMOS – MULTIETHNIC CHORUS OF BOLOGNA,” formed in September ’04 with the aim of creating a “place of meeting and exchange between people from different cultures.” Formed by fifty choristers, it has gathered people from more than thirty different countries to date.
– YOUTH CHOIR “AD MAIORA: LA BOTTEGA DELLA VOCE” made up of choristers between the ages of 20 and 30 from previous musical and choral experience. The choir, formed in February 2011, has several concerts to its credit.
– “MIKROKOSMOS DEI PICCOLI,” a multi-ethnic children’s choir (6-10 years old) created in January ’07. It currently consists of about 20 choristers and is maintained by the Cultural Ass. “Mikrokosmos.”
– “MIKROKOSMOS OF YOUNG PEOPLE,” a youth group of the Cultural Ass. “Mikrokosmos (11-16 years old), established in October 2014.
In October 2011, he was chosen by the Mozart Orchestra of Bologna as the Director of the “PAPAGENO” CHORUS, formed by inmates of the Dozza Prison in Bologna and outside volunteer choristers. The project, curated by the 2014 Mozart Association, was the brainchild of M° Claudio Abbado.
