Virginia Guastella

Virginia Guastella (Palermo, 1979) received her diploma in Piano at the age of 17 in her native city, then in Composition at 22 under the guidance of Adriano Guarnieri in Bologna, where she took also her degree in Musical Aesthetics with Maurizio Giani at DAMS (disciplines of art, music and drama), Faculty of Literature and Philosophy at the University of Bologna, graduating magna cum laude.

First Prize for outstanding musicianship in Jazz playing and Composition in 1994 at the Berklee School (of Boston) Clinics at the Umbria Jazz Festival (Perugia), she attended in 2001 the Course on Use of Live Electronics in Music Composition with A. Guarnieri and Alvise Vidolin (sound engineer).

Then, she went on advanced studies as pianist with Aquiles Delle Vigne, Boris Petrushansky and as composer with Salvatore Sciarrino at the Accademia musicale Chigiana in Siena. Winner of national piano competitions, also with international juries, she performed with the Mahler chamber Orchestra conducted by Alexander Lonquich, with the Orchestra of Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by Daniele Gatti, and collaborated with Orchestra Mozart conducted by Claudio Abbado.

Her works are performed at major festivals: Nuovi spazi musicali (directed by Ada Gentile, Roma); Teatro per la pace (Forlì); Festival 5 giornate, Milano; Orchestra Haydn (Trento and Bolzano); Rive gauche (Torino), Società aquilana dei concerti “Barattelli” (L’Aquila); Nuova Consonanza (Rome); Ferrara Musica (Ferrara); Fondazione ORT “Play It Festival” (directed by Giorgio Battistelli), Florence; Sentieri Selvaggi, Milano; Sofia Union of Bulgarian Composers. Quartetto Prometeo, Roberto Abbondanza, Paolo Fresu, Yves Abel, El Cimarròn Ensemble, Quartetto Michelangelo, Monèsis Ensemble, Contempoartensemble, Gustav Kuhn, Orchestra Haydn of Trento and Bolzano, Ottavia Piccolo, Anna Bonaiuto, New Made Ensemble, Carlo Boccadoro, Sentieri Selvaggi Ensemble, Fabrizio Festa, Orchestra regionale della Toscana (ORT), Alfonso Alberti, are some of the artists that have performed her works.Her piece September was the finalist in the “Progetto giovani compositori” (University of Bologna) chaired by Giacomo Manzoni.

With Pax virginis she won the international composition contest “Strumenti di pace” of Rovereto (with Giorgio Battistelli as Commission chairman). The work was performed by the Orchestra Haydn of Trento and Bolzano under the direction of Gustav Kuhn and was broadcast on Radio Vaticana and live on RadioTre Rai. The composition was included in the programme of the Orchestra and reprised in March and April 2009, conducted by Yves Abel.

She composes the original soundtracks to the episodes of the documentary series “La Grande Storia” and “Correva l’anno” broadcast in prime time on Rai Tre.

In 2008 her CD of original music, edited by RaiTrade, Slancio moderato (Moderate rush) in duo with the drummer Claudio Trotta (Duo Improbabile – Improbable Duo). In July 2011 she obtained the Teaching Certificate in Music Technology by MIDIWARE and IITM (Italian Institute for musical technology).

Since 2012 she teaches “Theory of Harmony and Analysis” in Gallarate (VA) at the Conservatory of music “G. Puccini” and “Film scoring” in other italian conservatories and istitutions.