CIVIS Academy Classical Orchestra 2027 (Salzburg)

Fourth edition of the BIP collecting classical payers from all the CIVIS universities in an orchestra that performs, in 5 rehearsals days, pieces from the great symphonic repertoire. The success of the previous editions clearly shows that both those students directly participating in the BIP and all academics and staff attending the final concert benefitted from the outcome of the BIP. 

The CIVIS Orchestra has been so far one of the brightest examples of how CIVIS can concretely build a transnational community and a sense of belonging otherwise very difficult to realize: all participants share the same spaces and work together for many hours a day, thus building a group, a fundamental aspect in a cooperative setting like an orchestra.

This year, the orchestra will perform in one of the temples of classical music: the Salzburg Festspiele Konzerthaus. The piece that will be executed is Mahler Symphony number 2. 

For the participants, this will be a unique opportunity to improve their musical skills, their technical and musical competences, and their human experiences. Academically, they will have the great opportunity to perform in a big orchestra and perform a challenging repertoire that otherwise would not be possible as parts of their home institutional orchestras. 

Moreover, their human growth will benefit from this intercultural and civically engaged experience. All these aspects will strengthen their sense of belonging and their perception of CIVIS as a concrete and tangible transnational reality.

Along the programme, the participants will: 

• understand how to perform important works of the symphonic repertoire;
• know how to integrate themselves in a collaborative, community based artistic project;
• develop a positive attitude towards this academic and cultural experience;
• be able to evaluate personal musical achievement;
• apply aesthetic and practical concepts in the creation and recreation of music;
• gain insight into the interrelationships among academic disciplines by studying how music reflects periods of history, music and art;
• cultivate an international mentality through the collaboration with students and academics from other countries;
• create bonds both with academics and other students, which may offer networking opportunities and further personal careers.

The physical component of the BIP will be hosted by the University of Salzburg, possibly with a cooperation with the Mozarteum Academy. The final concert will take place in the Festspiele Konzerthaus on 13 June 2027. 

The concert being scheduled on Sunday, the physical part will take place, as usual, in the 5 days prior to the concert date. Hence, the students will be arriving in Salzburg on 8 June; the rehearsals (so, the real physical part of the BIP) will take place between 9-13 June. The students will be leaving Salzburg on the morning of 14 June. Overall, around 32 hours in total.

The rehearsals will take place (on the first four days from) 9:00 - 12:00 and 14:00 - 18:00. On the day of the concert, there will be a dress rehearsal between 9:00 - 12:00 in the Festspiele Konzerthaus, followed by the the concert itself.

The main aspect of the physical mobility will be the rehearsals for the concert and the final concert, when Mahler's symphony number 2 will be performed.

There will be an initial online meeting between the participants and the instructors to plan the forthcoming asynchronous activities. This will consist in producing every month a short video on some excerpts identified by the instructors, that the participant should play and record to show how they are advancing in the individual preparation and that the instructors will evaluate. There will be at least 3 such moments in the online period.

In the first meeting, the instructors will specify their view of the pieces performed and will give indications on the most challenging technical parts. Then, the students will have to practice on their own and regularly report on the advances of their study, by regularly sending videos to instructors that will evaluate them and, in case of need, can have to opportunity to take an action and help the students with technical issue.

The integration between the online and in-presence part will be smooth and natural, since the pieces studied in the months before the physical part are the same as those rehearsed together in Salzburg. 

Having already practiced the most difficult excerpts will give the students and the instructors the opportunity to concentrate mostly on the emotional part of the artistic creation, and in building the ‘sound of the orchestra’.

The final assessment will take into consideration both the evaluations of the videos produced in the off-line period and the activity during the physical meeting. 

With precise deadlines, the instructors will check the video uploaded and give a mark to the recorded performance. In case of regularly uploaded videos and of good performance quqlity, a positive mark will be awarded; in case of absence of videos or of a poorly prepared student, a negative mark will be given. 

The evaluation of the physical part will assess the participation to the rehearsals and to all activities planned for preparing the concert.

Motivation Letter

CV

Video recording

The musical CV and the video will be the main criteria used to select the participants. 

A good musical CV, in which many orchestral and/ or chamber music experience is present, will surely be appreciated. Also, official music courses taken in Conservatories or music schools will be considered. 

The video should be a clear sample of the music value of the applicant, including a few minutes of solo or small group playing; an excerpt from an orchestral performance is not a suitable video to be submitted.

There will be 3 conductors:

Silvia Spinnato (PLUS): Born in Palermo, Silvia Spinnato studied piano and composition at the Conservatory "Bellini“ of her city. In 2005 she graduated in singing in Mantova (Italy). Shortly afterwards she moved to Salzburg to complete her studies as singer and choir director at the University Mozarteum. She graduated with honours in both disciplines. She attended the summer masterclasses in orchestra conducting in 2013, 2014, and 2015 lead by Peter Gülke in Salzburg. In June 2015 she graduated with honours in orchestra conducting with Hans Graf at the University Mozarteum. In summer 2015 she attended the masterclass of Paavo Järvi at the Järvi Academy in Tallinn/ Parnu. She received the Bernhard Paumgartner Medal 2015 of the International Foundation Mozarteum as talented young conductor. In 2008 Silvia Spinnato founded the music association Musicacosi, with which she worked as choir director in the following productions of the University Mozarteum, with stage director Eike Gramss: "Die Zauberflöte", "Idomeneo“, "La Clemenza di Tito“, "Le nozze di Figaro“, "Don Giovanni“ by Mozart, "Eugene Onegin“ by Tschaikovsky, Gluck’s "Orfeo ed Euridice“, Donizetti’s "L’elisir d’amore“, "Boheme“ by Puccini and "Carmen“ by Bizet. She conducted the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra in Opera Firenze, the Trieste’s Teatro Verdi Orchestra, the Palermo’s Teatro Massimo Orchestra, the Catania’s Teatro Massimo Bellini Orchestra, the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana (a production in Theater "Luciano Pavarotti“ with stage director Enrico Stinchelli in Modena), the Philharmonie Salzburg, the Südböhmische Kammerphilharmonie Budweis, Bad Reichenhall Philharmonie, the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, the Järvi Academy Youth Symphony Orchestra in Pärnu Music Festival.

Zoe Zeniodi (NKUA): she conducted ROSS (Real Orquesta Sinfónica Sevilla), Orchestre National Avignon Provence, Bremen Philharmonic, Porto Allegre Symphony Orchestra, Banda Sinfonica de Montevideo, National Orchestra of Colombia, National Orchestra of Tatarstan, National Orchestra of Vietnam, South Czech Philharmonic, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, Bogota Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, Olympia Symphony Orchestra, Paris Mozart Orchestra, Palm Beach Symphony, Orchestra Classica Toscana among many others. She has conducted in venues such as the Paris Philharmonie, Teatro Colón, and Carnegie Hall. She has collaborated with artists such as Sir Stephen Hough, Vadim Gluzman, Homero Francesch, and Lise de la Salle. As an associate conductor, Zoe Zeniodi has covered productions and concerts with the Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Santa Fe Opera, Köln Gürzenich Orchestra, Orquesta de Castilla y Leon and her work with youth orchestras has led her to collaborate with Academia Jovem Concertante, Bogota Youth Orchestra Florida Youth Orchestra, Greater Miami Youth Symphony and various Sistema inspired programs. The Greek conductor has been a Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Mentee, a Fellow of the Hart Institute of Women Conductors, and a member of La Maestra Academy at Paris Philharmonie. The documentary “Maestra” featuring her life and work premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and won “The Audience Award Documentary Second Place”, among many other prizes in various film festivals, and is currently showing on Netflix. Previous artistic leadership positions include Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, Principal Conductor of the Greek-Turkish Youth Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor for “Asia-Europe” New Music Festival Hanoi, Chief Conductor of MOYSA, Cover Conductor for Florida Grand Opera, Music and Artistic Director of Broward Symphony Orchestra and Alhambra Orchestra, Associate Music Director of the Festival of the Aegean, Artistic Advisor of the Festival of the Aegean, Artistic Director of “Consonances” annual music series for the Onassis Foundation Scholars’ Association and Associate Conductor of the Frost Symphony Orchestra. She has recorded for the Greek National Radio, as a conductor (championing contemporary music by Greek composers) and a pianist. She has released seven recordings of American contemporary music, including most of Thomas Sleeper’s world premieres and Frank Ticheli’s master song cycle “An American Dream” (Albany Records, Uroboros Music, and Puzzlemusik). Additionally, she took part in prestigious masterclasses where she conducted the Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and Stockholm Sinfonietta. Zoe Zeniodi holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and an Artist Diploma in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Miami. She studied piano and collaborative piano at the Royal College of Music in London and at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, earning her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees, as well as Postgraduate and Advanced Postgraduate Diplomas. During her studies, she received scholarships and grants from the Alexandros Onassis Foundation, the Friends of Music Society, the Propondis Foundation, the Royal College of Music, and the University of Miami. As a pianist, Zoe Zeniodi appeared in major concert halls and festivals in England (Royal Festival Hall, St John’s Smith Square, St James’s Piccadilly, Snape Maltings), France (Montpellier and Guibwiller Festivals), Germany (Frankfurt Oper, Rheinsberg Festival, Halle, Kiel, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Berlin, Cologne), Croatia (Lisinski Concert Hall), Russia, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Greece, Italy, Venezuela, Mauritius, and the USA.

Demetrio Moricca (SUR): he is the Music and Artistic Director of the MuSa Classica Orchestra at Sapienza University of Rome and, since 2023, the Music Director of the "Musica Libera Tutti" social orchestra in Scampia (Naples), a project inspired by the El Sistema model. His international career gained significant momentum with his 2021 debut at Tokyo Opera City Hall. Since then, he has become a regular guest in Japan, leading acclaimed staged productions and galas at prestigious venues such as Bunkamura Orchard Hall and Shibuya Cultural Center Owada. He has collaborated with world-renowned soloists, including tenor Stefan Pop and soprano Hiromi Omura, and conducted orchestras such as the Osaka Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo, and the Malta Philharmonic. Recently, he has consolidated his institutional profile by conducting the MuSa Orchestra and Choir at the Aula Magna of Sapienza University of Rome, during the centenary celebrations for Vittorio Bachelet, performing in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic. This milestone is complemented by his excellent results as a finalist for the position of Conductor at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Albania (TKOBAP), where he achieved the highest score in the practical test and an outstanding approval rating from the orchestra. A finalist of the 2023 Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy, Moricca has been mentored by some of the greatest masters of the Italian tradition, including Nello Santi and Sesto Quatrini. He has been praised by critics and mentors alike for his "high level of musical intelligence" and his "composed gesture and natural ability to accompany singers." Moricca’s repertoire spans from the core Italian operatic tradition to the symphonic masterpieces of the 19th and 20th centuries. He is also particularly dedicated to the rediscovery of the 18th-century Neapolitan school, having recently conducted rare staged productions of works by Niccolò Jommelli and Giovanni Paisiello.