Alberto Ferro, Piano

Born in Italy in 1996, Alberto Ferro achieved his Master’s degree (2018) under the guidance of Prof. Epifanio Comis, at the “Vincenzo Bellini” State Conservatoire of Music in Catania. He also attended several piano masterclasses held by very important pianists such as Leslie Howard, Elisso Virsaladze, Joaquín Achúcarro, Richard Goode, Boris Berezovsky, Jörg Demus and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He won a lot of prizes in international competitions, including: 1st Prize and Audience Prize at the International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Bonn (2017); 2nd Prize, International Press Prize and Haydn Prize at the “Ferruccio Busoni” International Piano Competition in Bolzano (2015); 6th Prize and Musiq’3 Prize of the public at the “Queen Elisabeth” International Piano Competition in Brussels (2016); 2nd Prize at the “Premio Jaén” International Piano Competition (2022); Finalist Prize at the “Arthur Rubinstein” International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv (2023); Finalist Prize and Children’s Corner Prize at the “Clara Haskil” International Piano Competition in Vevey (2017). He has performed many concerts throughout Europe: State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, University of the Arts in Berlin, Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest, National Philharmonic in Warsaw, Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Herkulessaal in Munich, Centre for Fine Arts, Flagey and Royal Conservatoire in Brussels, Ilija M. Kolarac Endowment in Belgrade, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Meistersingerhalle in Nuremberg, Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv, TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, Rudolf-Oetker-Halle in Bielefeld, Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Constanța, Musikhuset in Aarhus, Kurhaus in Wiesbaden, Teatro La Fenice and Teatro Malibran in Venice, Philharmonic Hall in Liège, Philharmonie in Luxembourg, Concertgebouw in Bruges, LAC in Lugano, Regentenbau in Bad Kissingen, Festspielhaus in Erl. Festival and associations appearances have included the Copenhagen Summer Festival, Unione Musicale di Torino, Bologna Festival, Ravello Festival, Amici della Musica di Firenze, Società dei Concerti and Società del Quartetto di Milano, Tyrolean Festival Erl, Kissinger Sommer, Beethovenfest, Piano aux Jacobins, Gent Festival van Vlaanderen, Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz and many others. He has performed with several orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Filarmonica della Fenice, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, under renowned conductors such as Arvo Volmer, Dirk Kaftan, Heribert Beissel, Günter Neuhold, Paul Meyer, Thierry Fischer, Marin Alsop, Christian Zacharias and many others. Many of his recordings were broadcast by radio and television broadcasters in Italy (Rai 3, Rai 5, Rai Radio 1, Rai Radio 3, Rai Südtirol, Radio Popolare, Venice Classic Radio) and abroad (RTBF, VRT, Musiq’3, Klara, ORF III, MDR Kultur, RTS, arte, Deutsche Welle). Furthermore, some important music magazines (Suonare News, Amadeus, Crescendo, Andante, Pizzicato) have published many articles about him. He recorded for some important labels such as Brilliant, Warner, Da Vinci and Muso. He is currently Professor of Piano at the “Franco Vittadini” State Conservatoire of Music in Pavia.

ABIGEILA VOSHTINA, VIOLIN:

Abigeila Voshtina, a talented violinist, began her violin studies at the age of 6 in Tirana. In 1992, she graduated from the Artistic High School “Jordan Misja” and continued her musical formation at the University of the Arts, the College of Arts Institute, the renowned Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, and the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, where she received several distinctions.

Her career began as first violin in important orchestras such as Teatro alla Scala and the Orchestra Sinfonica Verdi in Milan. She also distinguished herself as soloist with the ensemble “Solisti Laudensi”.

In 2015, Voshtina recorded three CDs featuring previously unpublished Italian repertoire.

From 2013 to 2024, she served as Artistic Director and Director General of the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania, while continuing her artistic activities. In 2021, she was also appointed Cultural Advisor for “Arts and Crafts”.

In recognition of her artistic and cultural contribution, she was awarded the title Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy in May 2021.