CROSS BORDER - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Member of the Main Board
• Member of the Organization Board
• Member of the Scientific Board
• Artistic Director - ( Www.Damianograndesso.It )

Damiano Grandesso, 1990, is an Italian saxophonist, member of Five Sax and Milano Saxophone Quartet. He played in the major concert halls of the world: Musikverein Vienna, Taipei National Concert Hall, Teatro del Lago Chile, Citè de la Musique Paris, Concertgebouw Brugge, Konzerthaus Vienna, Bruxelles Flagey, Gasteig Munich, Belgrade Concert Hall and Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Damiano is passionate about contemporary music and he has premiered over 30 new pieces. He usually work with composers such as Giovanni Bonato, Mario Pagotto, Leonardo Schiavo, Alberto Schiavo, Federico Zattera, Gianni Giacomazzo, and Pier Damiano Peretti. He gave masterclasses in Italy, Spain, Serbia, South America and Asia. Since 2012 he has been invited several times to perform with the Bruxelles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. Damiano is first prize winner of 12 national and international competitions. He recorded cds with for ARS, Azzurra Music, and Orlando Records. He is the artistic director of Alpen Classica Festival and Italian Sax Week. Damiano is Selmer and D'Addario Artist. In 2007, he obtained the diploma "Bachelor in Music" from the Conservatory in Vicenza, where he studied with Dario Balzan. In October 2011 he got his master of music, with the highest distinctions, at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, studying with Daniele Comoglio. He studied also at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität in Vienna with Lars Mlekusch and at the conservatory in Bordeaux with Marie Charrier.

Mario Marzi, winner of nine national and four international competitions, has performed with the most important symphonic orchestras, amongst them the "Orchestra Sinfonica RAI di Torino", "Accademia naz. di Santa Cecilia", "Arena di Verona", "Teatro Comunale di Firenze", "Teatro alla Fenice di Venezia", "Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana" and the "Caracas Symphony Orchestra". Since twenty years he has been working with the "Teatro alla Scala" and with the "Filarmonica della Scala" under the baton of the nowadays leading conductors R. Muti, C. M. Giulini, G. Prètre, L. Maazel, L. Berio, S. Bychkov, G. Sinopoli, W. Sawallisch, M. W. Chung, G. Dudamel, C. Abbado, R. Chailly and D. Harding. He often plays with Mr. Riccardo Muti and is regularly invited to join Mr. Zubin Mehta and the "Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino" on concert tours. He has played at famous national and international festivals such as the "Biennale di Venezia", "Settembre Musica", "La Scala di Milano", "Accademia Filarmonica di Roma" or the "Ravenna Festival". Other concerts took place in Salzburg, Athens, Madrid, Saint Petersburg and Mexico City as well as in prestigious halls and theatres such as in the "Carnegie Hall" in New York, the "Suntory Hall" in Tokyo, the "Gewandhaus" in Leipzig, the "Musikverein" in Wien, the "Schauspielhaus" in Berlin, the "Lacma Museum" in Los Angeles, the "Grand National Theatre" of China-Beijing, the "European Parliament" in Brussels, the "Ciajkovskij Hall"in Moscow and the "Liceu" in Barcelona etc. He devoted himself to XXth century repertoire and some of the most meaningful contemporary works for saxophone are dedicated to him. He has recorded for EMI, Edipan, Stradivarius, Agorà, BMG and Sony Classical. His CD of the major saxophone concertos for soloist and orchestra, which he recorded with "G. Verdi Symphony Orchestra" conducted by H. Schellemberger, was recently released in Italy by Amadeus and is now internationally released on ARTS (München). He is Rico's endorser.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Main Board
• Member of the Organization Board
• Member of the Scientific Board
• President and Artistic Director ( Www.Massimilianogirardi.It )
• Professor of Saxophone at the Conservatorio "F.Cilea

Massimiliano is professor of saxophone at the Conservatorio "F.Cilea" in Reggio Calabria and he is also initiator, founder and artistic director of the fist euregio festival (Trentino, South Tyrol and Tyrol) of classical music called "Alpen Classica Festival" and of the first euregio saxophone festival called "Alpen Classica Saxfest". He also has an intense concert activity as soloist and with various ensembles like the Milano Saxophone Quartet, Sargas Duo (saxophone and organ/piano), Worksong Duo (saxophone and accordion). Massimiliano performed in worldly famous concerts halls and academies like Wiener Konzerthaus, Sala Verdi Milan, Belgrade Philharmonie, Trento Philharmonie, Teatro Ristori Verona, Triennale Milano, Teatro Vittoria Tornino, Muth Theatre Vienna, Bielsko Concert hall, Stephan's Dom Wien, Music-university "Frederik Chopin" Warsaw, Music-academy Katowice, Music-academy Krakow and also in renowned festivals like Milano Musica, Festival Mito, Transart Festival, Società del Quartetto di Vicenza, Società del Quartetto di Milano, Vienna Saxfest, Musica Riva Festival, Stage internazionale del saxofono di Fermo, Sardinia Organ Fest, Laudes Organi Wien, Vespri d'organo di Monza, Italian Saxweek, Opera Estate, Chile Saxfest, Festival de Musica da Camera "Chiloè Concertante", Temporada de Musica UTEM (Chile), Tarapaca Musica Festival (Chille), and many others. He recorded for ARS, Azzurra Music and Ambiente. Massimiliano gives regularly Masterclasses in Europe, and America. He studied at the Milan conservatory under the guidance of M. Daniele Comoglio with whom he hold his bachelor and also master degree with best marks. Further impulses brought him to Vienna with Lars Mlekusch at the Vienna Conservatory where he attended a two year's specialisation course. He also has taken choral and orchestral conducting lessons. Besides his saxophone studies he also got his degree in modern languages and literature and also in Euro-American languages and literature with best marks at the university of Trento. Massimiliano is D'Addario , Zac and Selmer artist.