Massimo Felici

Massimo Felici studied in Rome with Stefano Grondona, then specialized with Oscar Ghiglia at the Chigiana Academy in Siena and at the Musik-Akademie in Basel.

First Prize in the International Competitions of Gargnano, Màlaga, Cagliari and Fiuggi, he has been awarded important acknowledgments and prizes also in Alessandria, Parma, “A. Segovia” in Granada, “Palma d’oro” in Finale Ligure.

He has been performing since he was very young as a soloist, in duo with the guitarist Lorenzo Micheli, with the flutist Massimo Mercelli, with the “Leonardo” Guitar Quartet and with orchestras all over Europe, South America, United States and the Far East, with conductors as Enrique Bàtiz, Filippo Maria Bressan, Tito Muñoz, Christopher Franklin, Robert Gutter, Philippe Bender, Michael Summers, Raphael Pyllarinos, Vittorio Antonellini and others.

Guest artist in many important Festivals all over the world (Jerusalem, Brno, Rheingau, Emilia Romagna, Ljubljiana, Zagreb, Màlaga, Gerona, Siracusa...), Massimo Felici teaches Guitar at the Conservatory “Nino Rota” in Monopoli (Italy), and has been also invited to give masterclasses in Germany, South Corea, India, Croatia, Estonia, Spain, Czech Republic and Finland.

Member of the New York Alaria Chamber Ensemble, he performed in 1997 his debut at Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall).

In 1995 he recorded the CD “Escarraman”, which contains the première recordings of works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco to enthusiastic international critical acclaim. In 2004 he recorded the Complete Concertos of Castelnuovo-Tedesco together with Lorenzo Micheli for the international label “Brilliant”.

The American Records’ Guide has written that “he is one of the best European guitarists we have ever listened to”.

Giovanni Sollima (“Free Life on Earth” – 2004, “Il Bestiario di Leonardo” – 2006) and Luis Bacalov (“Caminos del Sur” – 2006) dedicated to him new important guitar works.

Massimo Felici plays a guitar made by Miguel Simplicio (Barcelona 1934).

 

Massimo Lonardi

.....Born in Milan, Massimo Lonardi was a pupil of Ruggero Chiesa at the Conservatory of Milan, where he also attended the composition course held by Azio Corghi. After graduating in guitar, he has focused on the lute repertoire and the performance of renaissance and baroque music, under the guidance of such an important teacher as Hopkinson Smith, whom he studied with in Italy and Switzerland.

.....Currently considered one of the best lute performers in Europe, Massimo Lonardi is very active as a soloist and as chamber musicians with several ensembles all over the Old Continent. His discography includes dozens of recordings on the labels Ricordi, Erato, Teldec, Tactus, Jeklin, Nuova Era, Stradivarius, Edelweiss and Agorà, and notably monographic CD’s devoted to the music of Francesco da Milano, Pietro Paulo Borrono da Milano, Joan Ambrosio Dalza and Vincenzo Capirola, an anthology of italian Baroque lute music, the vihuela works by Luys Milan and the lute works of John Dowland, that were given the "Musica e Dischi" prize awarded every year to the best instrumental music album. He is professor of lute and chamber music at the Civico Istituto Musicale in Pavia and the Scuola di Musica Antica (School of Ancient Music) in Venice.

 

Michele Mo