The Lecturers
The Lecturers
Alberto Allegrezza (Bologna) | Voice and Gesture >>
Sergio Gasparella (Vicenza) | Harpsichord and Accompaniment >>
Prof. Maurice van Lieshout (Essen) | Consort Polyphony, Recorder & Improvisation >>
Davide Monti (Cagliari) | Violin & Improvisation >>
Pietro Modesti (Basel) | Historical Wind Instruments & Improvisation >>
Veronica Andreani (Venice) | Literary Studies >>
Prof. Myriam Eichberger (Weimar) | Recorder, Individual Lessons & Consort >>
Bernd Niedecken (Freiburg) | Scenography & Historical Dance
Alberto Allegrezza (Bologna) | Voice and Gesture
Alberto Allegrezza is a singer, musician, stage director and actor. He completed his studies in recorder at the Department of Early Music of the “A. Pedrollo” Conservatory in Vicenza with Paolo Faldi and studied singing with William Matteuzzi, Gloria Banditelli and Gabriele Lombardi. As a singer and musician, he has collaborated with some of the most renowned interpreters of Early Music, including Accademia Bizantina (conductor: Ottavio Dantone), Auser Musici (conductor: Carlo Ipata), Cantar lontano (conductor: Marco Mencoboni), Cappella musicale di S. Petronio in Bologna (conductor: Michele Vannelli), Concerto Romano (conductor: Alessandro Quarta), La Venexiana (conductor: Claudio Cavina), Modo Antiquo (conductors: Bettina Hoffmann and Federico Maria Sardelli), and Odhecaton (conductor: Paolo Da Col). He has taken part in projects with internationally renowned institutions such as Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, Kuninkaantien Muusikot in Turku (Finland), Festival “C. Monteverdi” in Cremona, Festival “O Flos colende” in Florence, Festival Cusiano di Musica Antica in Novara, Festival International de Musique Universitaire in Belfort, Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, Festival “Scènes de Pays” in Mauges, Festival “MITO” in Milan and Turin, Osterfestival Tirol in Innsbruck, Ravenna Festival and Opera Barga Festival.
He performed the role of Bragherona in L’opera seria by Florian Leopold Gassmann (Milan, Teatro alla Scala, Orchestra della Scala, Les Talens Lyriques, conductor: Christophe Rousset, stage direction: Laurent Pelly), Meneca Vernillo in Li zite 'ngalera by Leonardo Vinci (Milan, Teatro alla Scala, Orchestra della Scala, La Cetra, conductor: Andrea Marcon, stage direction: Leo Muscato), Dirce in La Dori by Marc’Antonio Cesti (Innsbruck, Tiroler Landestheater, Accademia Bizantina, conductor: Ottavio Dantone, stage direction: Stefano Vizioli), Delfa in L’empio punito by Alessandro Melani (Pisa, Teatro Verdi, Auser Musici, conductor: Carlo Ipata, stage direction: Jacopo Spirei), Arnalta in L’incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi (Venice – Ateneo Veneto; Milan – “MITO SettembreMusica”, La Venexiana, conductor: Claudio Cavina), Erisbe in L’Artemisia by Francesco Cavalli (recording, La Venexiana, conductor: Claudio Cavina), Armindo in Gli equivoci nel sembiante by Alessandro Scarlatti (Barga, “Opera Barga”, Auser Musici, conductor: Carlo Ipata, stage direction: Dugny Müller), Pisandro in Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria by Claudio Monteverdi (Paris – Cité de la Musique; Amsterdam – Concertgebouw; Regensburg, Innsbruck, La Venexiana, conductor: Claudio Cavina, stage direction: Chiara Savoia), and Geremia in La caduta di Gierusalemme by Giovanni Paolo Colonna (Barga, “Opera Barga” 2013, Auser Musici, conductor: Carlo Ipata, stage direction: Dugny Müller).
In the theatre, he has collaborated with actors and directors such as Enrico Bonavera, Gianfranco de Bosio, Riccardo Perraro and Piergiorgio Piccoli. As a former Commedia dell’arte performer, he is engaged in a wide variety of theatrical forms. He founded the ensemble of musicians and actors Dramatodía, through which he brings to life texts from the Commedia dell’arte tradition in productions where Renaissance and Baroque music acquires a scenic and theatrical identity. With this company, he has staged Amor allo specchio by Giambattista Andreini, Actéon by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Barca di Venetia per Padova by Adriano Banchieri, Triac’antica – a free adaptation based on Triaca musicale by Giovanni Croce, Festino del Giovedì Grasso avanti cena by Adriano Banchieri, Lotto festevole fatto in villa by Giulio Cesare Croce, and Selva de varia ricreazione by Orazio Vecchi. He personally designed and created all stage elements, including costumes and sets.
He is a scholar of codified gesture in late Renaissance and early Baroque theatre. He has been invited to teach “Early Theatre Gestures in Performance” at numerous Italian and European conservatoires and courses. Since 2015, he has been teaching historical gesture and staging in the baroque opera laboratories of Bazzano (BO) as part of the festival Corti, Chiese e Cortili, where he has directed L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria by Claudio Monteverdi, Il trionfo di Camilla by Giovanni Bononcini and La catena d’Adone by Domenico Mazzocchi.
He has recorded for the labels Arts, Dynamic, Glossa, Naxos, Sony and Tactus.
Sergio Gasparella (Vicenza) | Harpsichord and Accompaniment
He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, where he had the opportunity to specialize under Patrick Ayrton, Fabio Bonizzoni, Wolfgang Glüxam, and Ton Koopman.
He then completed a Master's degree in Harpsichord – with a focus on harpsichord and organ continuo practice – at the Conservatory of Padua under Roberto Loreggian.
As a basso continuo player and conductor, he has collaborated with ensembles such as Verità Baroque Ensemble, I Musicali Affetti, Akademie für Alte Musik Bruneck, Academia Montis Regalis, Balthasar Neumann Akademie, Austria Barock Akademie, MokkaBarock, and Juilliard415, and has performed at various festivals including the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, Weimarer Festwoche, Barockfestspiele Bad Arolsen, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, and Asiagofestival.
He has recorded both as a soloist and as an ensemble musician for labels such as Evil Penguin Classic and Da Vinci.
Since this year, he has held a teaching position for special assignments in correpetition, chamber music, and basso continuo at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne.
He is also the artistic director of Crescere in Musica APS, an Italian music association through which he develops music and education programs for students, with a particular focus on repertoire ranging from the Baroque to contemporary works and involving various art forms.
Prof. Maurice van Lieshout (Essen) | Consort Polyphony, Recorder & Improvisation
Studied BA-recorder (class of Pieter van Veen) and piano (class of Jacques de Tiège) at the Brabants Conservatorium Tilburg (NL), MA-recorder at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (NL, class of Ricardo Kanji). With a Nuffic-scholarship, he studied at the Scuola Civica Milano (Italy), a period mainly devoted to the performance practice of Italian repertory from the late middle ages (class of Pedro Memelsdorff).
From 1995 to 2011, Maurice van Lieshout lectured in 'Historical Improvisation' at the University for Music and Theater in Leipzig (Germany). From 2001 to 2012, he also taught 'Music before 1600' at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main (Germany). From 2004 to 2007, he taught at the Fontys Conservatorium Tilburg (the Netherlands), lecturing in music theory and instrumental performance practice at the department for ‘Early Modal Music and Vocal Ensemble’. From 2007 to 2024, Maurice van Lieshout held a parttime professorship for Early Music at the University of Music, Saarbrücken (Germany), which he combined (from 2011) with a professorship for recorder at the University of Music and Theater in Munich (Germany). In October 2024, he was awarded a fulltime professorship recorder at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen/ Duisburg (Germany).
Maurice van Lieshout is a much sought-after course instructor. He has conducted numerous workshops, lectures and masterclasses at almost all German music universities, as well as at many other renowned institutes and academies in, for instance, Austria (Mozarteum Salzburg, MDW Vienna, Barock Akademie Gmunden), Belgium (Brussels, Leuven, Bruges, Antwerp, Liège), Brazil (USP, UNESP, Festival Internacional de Música Colonial Brasileira Juiz de Fora), Finland (Sibelius Academy Helsinki), France (CNSM Paris), Israel (JAMD, Israel Music Conservatory Tel Aviv), the Netherlands (Conservatories of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Tilburg, Maastricht) and Russia (Tchaikovsky Conservatory Moscow).
Maurice van Lieshout has successfully performed repertoire for the recorder in a wide variety of genres. In 1993, he founded the ensemble ‘Fala Música’, which interprets music from the (late) medieval period. As the artistic director of the ‘Schola Stralsundensis’, he dedicated himself to the music of the Renaissance. Guest conducting engagements with, for instance, the Vienna Baroque Academy and Capella Leopoldina (Austria), as well as his participation in numerous concerts and CD-recordings with ensembles such as Cantus Cölln (Germany), La Gamme Marésienne (NL), Capella Savaria (Hungary) and KYRE (Taiwan) record his keen interest in music of the baroque period. In the field of contemporary music, Maurice van Lieshout has been involved in several world premieres, including his own commissions of works by, among others, Bára Grímsdóttir (Iceland), Paul Frankhuijzen (NL), Caterina Calderoni (Italy) and Josef Tal (Israel).
Maurice van Lieshout has the Dutch nationality and lives in The Hague (NL).
Davide Monti (Cagliari) | Violin & Improvisation
Davide Monti is a violinist whose infectious energy and exceptional natural talent make him a truly compelling performer. As director, soloist, concertmaster, and chamber musician, his playing has been described as “phenomenal” with “incredible freshness,” where every performance feels extraordinarily spontaneous and organic. His recordings—including Vivaldi's Four Seasons—have been hailed as “definitely one of the best versions of the decade.”
Holding degrees from the Conservatory of Parma and the Conservatory of Verona, Davide has served as leader and soloist with numerous internationally renowned ensembles, such as the European Baroque Orchestra (EUBO), Il Tempio Armonico, Accademia Arcadia Australia, Ensemble Elyma, Tafelmusik Toronto, Les Voix Humaines Montreal, Camerata Brisbane, Kore in Poland, and Arparla (in collaboration with harpist Maria Christina Cleary).
Davide is passionate about the art of improvisation, where the experience of extemporaneous communication parallels other art forms such as theater, dance, fencing, and dressage. He regards the score as a canvas, with each performance emerging as a distinct and vital work of art.
He has taught improvisation within historically informed practices across Europe, Canada, Asia, and Australia. As the Artistic Director of the International School of Improvisation – Helicona Project, he leads a multidisciplinary approach to musical improvisation that has evolved into a complex and fascinating system of strategies. Notably, the Helicona Project was recently awarded the REMA (European Network for Early Music) Cross-Border Project of the Year.
Currently, as a teacher of Baroque Violin at the Cagliari Conservatory, Davide delights in “speaking” with his violin—a cherished Giuseppe Guadagnini instrument from the second half of the 18th century.
Pietro Modesti (Basel) | Historical Wind Instruments & Improvisation
After graduating in trumpet from the Conservatorio "G. Donizetti" in Bergamo, he began studying cornetto at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, where he received his “Master in Musical Performance in Early Music” in 2014.
He is the founder and director of the UtFaSol Ensemble and works as a cornettist with numerous Italian and European ensembles, including: Il Pomo d’Oro, Ensemble Concerto Scirocco, Ensemble Dramatodia, Cappella Musicale Arcivescovile di San Petronio, Orchestra Accademia Bizantina, Ensemble La Fonte Musica, Accademia Mauriziana, Cappella Marciana, Orchestra Montis Regalis, Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Festina Lente, Baroque Band Les Esprits Animaux, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Ensemble La Magnifica Comunità, Ensemble La Chapelle Ancienne, and Lautten Compagney.
He has performed a wide range of programs in renowned concert halls such as: Berlin Philharmonie, Philharmonie de Paris, Royal Albert Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Wiener Konzerthaus, Palau de les Arts de Valencia, Bozar Brussels, Essen Philharmonie, and the Opéra Royal de Versailles.
He has appeared at major Italian and European festivals, including the BBC Proms (London), Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik (Innsbruck), Monteverdi Festival (Cremona), Edinburgh International Festival, Festival Resonanzen (Vienna), MiTo SettembreMusica (Milan–Turin), Oude Muziek Utrecht, and Herbst des Mittelalters (Basel).
He teaches cornetto at the Conservatorio Maderna–Lettimi in Cesena and at the Scuola Civica “Claudio Abbado” in Milan.
Prof. Myriam Eichberger (Weimar) | Blockflöte, Einzellektionen & Consort
- Studied at the University of Music Karlsruhe with Prof. Gerhard Braun, at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Michel Piguet and Conrad Steinmann, and at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague with Ricardo Kanji
- DAAD scholarship holder in 1982/83 for studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
- International concert activities as a soloist with orchestra in major musical centers in Germany and abroad, as well as in various chamber music formations and solo recitals
- Concerts and CD productions with various Early Music ensembles, including cantatas and oratorios by G.F. Handel, G.Ph. Telemann, Reinhard Keiser, among others
- Performances at international Early Music festivals such as Festival van Vlaanderen Bruges, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Bruchsaler Barocktage, Zürcher Junifestwochen, Bachwoche Ansbach, Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Festival Mitte Europa, and at regional festivals such as Kunstfest Weimar, MDR Musiksommer, Festival Alte Musik Güldener Herbst, and Festival Schloss Ettersburg
- International tours in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut
- Recordings for EMI Electrola, Ambitus, and Capriccio with 17th-century music from Italy and England as well as works from the German High Baroque
- Television productions with ARD (portrait broadcast "Musikstreifzüge"), live broadcasts with ZDF and others
- Teaching activities in masterclasses, e.g., during the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Landesmusikakademie Sondershausen, and Kloster Michaelstein
- Since 1995, Professor of Recorder at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar
- Within this framework, she has trained numerous award-winning students and ensembles for international competitions, led many university projects, and played a key role in building a vibrant Early Music scene in Thuringia
- Since 2006, honorary chairwoman of Bach in Weimar e.V., actively advocating for the creation of a living Bach encounter center “BachWelt Weimar” at J.S. Bach’s authentic place of residence
- Co-founder of the BACH BIENNALE WEIMAR in 2008 and its artistic director
- Founded the KIBA KinderBachBiennale in 2012
- Founded the Young International Center for Bach and Baroque Music (JUNIZEBB) in 2018
- Founded the International Online Competition for Organ Improvisation in 2022
- Co-initiator of the MusicMosaic masterclasses, established in 2025 as part of the BACH BIENNALE WEIMAR
