Umbria Ensemble, Italy, 2013

Tour Dates: 17 - 28 October, 2013

Umbria Ensemble consists of soloists of considerable fame, and chamber music players of great artistic worth, each of whom with considerable experience and success in a series of transversal...

Tour Dates
  • 17 - 28 October, 2013

19 October, Anhui Art Center, 0551-3633372
20 October, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 021-68541234
22 October, Sunrise Concert Hall, Beihang University, 010-82317114
23 October, Sunrise Concert Hall, Beihang University, 010-82317114
24 October, Monmanwai Concert Hall, Tsinghua University, 010-62788104/62782334
25 October, Nanjing Culture & Art Center, 025-84797929/84797930
26 October, Changzhou Grand Theatre, 0519-85226666

Angelo Cicillini, 1st violin
Luca Venturi, 2nd violin
Luca Ranieri, viola
Maria Cecilia Berioli, cello

Umbria Ensemble consists of soloists of considerable fame, and chamber music players of great artistic worth, each of whom with considerable experience and success in a series of transversal, innovative linguistic environments. Every musician's noble, solid classical formation provided the initial momentum for the ensemble's artistic journey embracing a myriad of styles and developments in the most refined musical language.

From romanticism to the avant-garde – this powerhouse of talent has embraced a broad variety of musical genres right up to the latest expressions of today's Music - the repertoire and interpretative style of the "Umbria Ensemble" is characterized by a vital dynamism that has led the group to measure itself against, and produce concerts and events in cooperation with, the most interesting artistic undertakings of the moment (in the fields of Theatre, Cinema and Dance), in the belief that the boundaries separating Art Forms and Languages are of a purely academic nature.

The inescapable characteristics of the ensemble's work are, in fact, the unquestionable, constantly excellent quality of its performances, and its openness to new artistic and cultural developments.

As soloists and chamber musicians, the members of the "Umbria Ensemble", all leading musicians in the orchestras of the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, of Bologna's Municipal Theatre, and of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, have recorded for the Brilliant Classics, Camerata Tokyo, BMG, Dynamic and Tactus labels.

They have established, as their point of pride, a critical rendering of rare works from great composers of the past and – most importantly – the production of First Works driving from the synergy between the best intellectual and artistic minds to be found in Italy, and designed to be presented both at great events throughout the country and exported to prestigious showcases as the high spots of current artistic production, with the important aim also of creating a virtuous, fertile intellectual and productive circuit. The Ensemble's most recent successes include: the Concerts held in Cyprus, France, Holland and the UK; the recording of a CD of music by Brahms and Schubert, for the "Camerata Tokyo" label; and the production of the show entitled "Storie degli ultimi giorni" (The Last Days), inspired by the figure and work of Italian Renaissance painter Luca Signorelli, which has also been produced as a DVD.

Angelo Cicillini, 1st violin

Angelo Cicillini holds diploma in both violin and viola with top marks and distinction from the Conservatory of Music "F. Morlacchi" in Perugia.

Afterwards he had attended special courses held by Vadim Brodsky for violin and by Bruno Giuranna (Found. Stauffer in Cremona) as well as Csaba Erderlyi for viola.
He has also got a High Specialization Certificate in viola, concerning a three-year course held by M° Massimo Paris, at the Academy of Music in Pescara and an Academic Certificate at the 2nd level at the Institute of Music "G. Briccialdi" in Terni with full marks.

He is duly invited to play as solo-violin and/or principal leader by different chamber music and symphony orchestras. He has been steadily playing the role of "principal leader" in the orchestra called "Camerata del Titano", in the Republic of S. Marino, for ten years. He has been cooperating with the "Orchestra da Camera Italiana" conducted by Salvatore Accardo since 1998.

He has recorded, as solo violin, with pianist and in sextet for RAI, Bongiovanni, Tactus and Mondo Musica (Monaco di Baviera) with gratifying praises by music critics and by specialized magazines as Amadeus and CD Classica.

He has been teaching Musica d'insieme per strumenti ad arco at the Conservatory of Music in Benevento since 1993.

Luca Venturi, 2nd violin

Luca Venturi graduated in violin from the Perugia Conservatory "F. Morlacchi" with highest honors, and then he took the second level Academic Diploma with P. Scarponi.

He improved performing of baroque music with D.De Rosa, R. Zannettovich, E. Bronzi, G. Carmignola, C. Rossi and Duo Pepicelli. Following this he studied under C. Bianchini at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel to perfect himself.

As soloist, he had played most prestigious orchestras in Italy. In last season, he had toured intensively to Luxembourg, Switzerland, Spain, Holland and Japan. There're many recordings he made for Bongiovanni, Bottega Discantica, Tactus, RAI and SKY Classica.

Luca Ranieri, viola

Ranieri studied violin, viola and canto and graduated with honours. He then continued his study with F. Ayo, G. de Peyer, U. Koch, E. Rizzieri. As a soloist he performed in prestigious venues such as Auditorium Nacional de Madrid, Eremitege Theatre in St. Peterburg, Clementinum in Praha, Auditorum Foro Italico in Rome, collaborating with Z. Metha, G. Pretre, G. Sinopoli, C. M.Giulini, D. Oren, G. Kuhn, and R.F. De Burgos.

He has played live concerts for Rai TV and radio. His CDs with viola solo or concerto were produced by Bongovanni, BMG, Quadrivium, Dynamic, Camerata Tokyo with a wide range including Bach, Stamitz, Mozart, Orsi, Cambini, Hummel, Paganini, Hindemith, Bartòk, Britten, Ghedini, D'Amico, Telemann, Hoffmeister, Vivaldi, Rolla, M. Haydn. Other chamber music recordings include Piazzolla, Milhaud, Stamitz, and Mendelssohn among many others.

He was first viola with important Italian orchestras, collaborating for a long time with RAI orchestra in Rome and S. Carlo Theatre in Naples, and first viola with i Solisti di Perugia.

Maria Cecilia Berioli, cello

Maria Cecilia Berioli graduated in cello with first class honours. She then went on to specialize in chamber music under the guidance of G. De Peyer and D. De Rosa (Trio di Trieste) and in cello under Siegfrid Palm for modern and contemporary music. She further studied classical repertoire with Daniel Grosgurin and, for a long time Arturo Bonucci, with whom Cecilia brilliantly passed her Specialist Diploma at the Pescara Music Academy, and subsequently her Specialist Diploma with Special Prize in Violoncello at the National Music Academy of S. Cecilia in Rome. She then passed her 2nd Level Diploma in performance and interpretation at the Perugia Conservatoire.

She was the winner of Hindemith Foundation (Switzerland), first prize of AMA Calabria Competition held in Lamezia Terme and first prize at "Ottocento Festival" in Saludecio (RN). In 2006, she won the "OPERAIMAIE2006" prize for "the CD of the year".

She has been first cello in the Filarmonici Umbri, Il Gruppo di Roma, the Perugia Symphony Orchestra, the Festival Sinfonietta, and the Umbria Symphony Orchestra among many others. From 1995 to 2000 she worked regularly with the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Turin. Since 1997, she has been soloist with Bologna's Teatro Comunale. Since 2000 she has been first cello with the "I Solisti di Perugia" ensemble. Playing both as a soloist and chamber musician, she has toured intensively in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia, Morocco, Malta, Greece, Japan, Belarus, Cyprus and the USA.

She has recorded music for RAIUNO, RAIDUE and RAITRE, and for the BMG, Quadrivium, Dynamic, Tactus, UmbriaJazzRecord, La Maggiore/IMAIE and Camerata Tokyo, receiving high claims from critics. She is the founder of Umbria Ensemble.

Review

"This is an excellent young trio, technically first-rate, of great musicality, rhythmical drive and an expressive sense of style. I recommend them highly, without reservation".

- Walter Levin, from the Lasalle Quartet