Cuneo is considered the green capital of Piedmont in the north of Italy, for its numerous parks and gardens.

The city holds extraordinary surprises, not only from a panoramic point of view, but also for its history and the numerous social, gastronomic and cultural initiatives that it hosts throughout the year.

Founded in 1198, the city of Cuneo presents at first glance a relaxed atmosphere, with its elegant arcades that wind for a length of eight kilometers and which seem to provide a warm welcome and generous hospitality.

The European Suzuki Association (ESA) was founded in 1980 as a non-profit organisation.

The ESA is an umbrella organisation which serves as a coalition of all national Suzuki associations throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa. Its primary purpose is to further Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s approach to education through the provision of a Suzuki Teacher Training Program which maintains the quality of Suzuki Teaching throughout the region.

Its members now include 26 national institutes which have over 2600 Suzuki teachers for many different instruments.

The ESA is managed by a Board of Directors which includes representatives of each National Suzuki Association (Country Directors). The current Chair is the flutist Anke van der Bijl. The current Administrator is Sue Wimpeney.

ESA( Europe, Middle East and Africa) is a member of the International Suzuki Association (ISA), to which the SAA (America), the ARSA (Asia except Japan), the PPSA (Australia/New Zealand and Pacific Islands), and the TERI (Japan).

The Italian Suzuki Institute was founded in 1993. The Institute represents the network of schools and teachers who, through the method created by Maestro Shinichi Suzuki, spread and develop musical education at an early age. The Institute is the only interlocutor in contacts between the various national Suzuki associations and the various Suzuki structures abroad and the only national interlocutor of the European Suzuki Association (ESA) of which it is a member.

Today, the ISI has 40 schools, 230 teachers and over 3,000 pupils.

ROBERTO BONGIOVANNI  Conductor

Roberto Bongiovanni received his musical training at the Rome Conservatory “S. Cecilia”, graduating with degrees in Orchestral Direction, Choral Direction, Composition, Piano, Music Teaching.
His experience in different fields of music emerges in his own profession of conductor. He cooperated with many important Italian institutions and orchestras (for example Teatro Massimo di Palermo, the OperaEnsemble of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo, Orchestra di
Roma e del Lazio …), as well as many foreign orchestras including: OSPA- Sinfonic Orchestra of Baleari (Palma di Maiorca – Spain), Sinfonic Orchestra of Principato of Asturias (Oviedo – Spain), Sinfonic Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio (Sofia – Bulgaria), National Sinfonic Orchestra Ceca (Praga – Repubblica Ceca), MSO-Mostly Symphonic Orchestra (Seoul)…
He has been widely reviewed and appreciated by his audiences and enjoyed reviews in the top italian musical journal such as “L’Opera”, “Auditorium” (of ‘Parco della Musica’ in Rome), “Opera Click”.
Bongiovanni’s repertoire is very broad (from chamber, lyric and symphonic music, to sacred and contemporary music), and it focuses on opera repertoire, leading him to collaborate with many artists of this sector, as G.Boyagian, L.Serra, G.Terranova, J.Pratt, etc.
Contemporarily, Bongiovanni continues to compose and publish his works, as well as his musicological works (for example, commissioned by the Sansouci Festival in Postdam, Germany, in 2021 he edited the eighteenth-century lyric opera “I portentosi effetti della Madre Natura” by Giuseppe Scarlatti, libretto by Carlo Goldoni) and didactic books (for example “Musical Perception:
from the harmonic dictation to the polyphonic dictation” with CD-Rom – Rugginenti-Volonté Editions, 2018).
Bongiovanni also leads a very busy teaching schedule (choral and orchestral conducting, composition, music interpretation, sight reading, ear training, music memorizing) at important Italian and European public and private institutions (for example in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia,
Romania, Poland, etc.), and outside Europe (Korea, China, USA).
For his work, Bongiovanni received an official commendation in 2005 from the President of the Italian Republic Hon. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, which points out << the commitment to the promotion and enhancement of the great Italian musical heritage >>.

Aida Pascu  Soprano
The young soprano graduated from the National University of
Music Bucharest and the bilingual Spanish philology section of
the “Miguel de Cervantes” High School in Bucharest, was born to
a family of operatic singers, who provided her with musical
preparation from her early childhood.
She has been active since 2008, when she was admitted into the
children’s choir of the National Bucharest Opera House, and had
many solo moments in all the concerts organized by the choir.
Also, she has already sung on other national stages of Romania,
(The Romanian Athenaeum, the National Opera and Ballet Theater
“Oleg Danovski” in Constanta, or the Kronstadt Opera/Opera
Brasov, the Sibiu, Brasov and Ramnicu Valcea Philharmonics), as
well as the Czech Republic (Jachymov), France (Paris), Israel – Tel
Aviv and Jerusalem (Henry Crown Symphony Hall – Jerusalem
Theatre) and Italy. Her evolution was marked by winning the
Golden Medal (High Distinction) at the first edition of the “Vienna
International Competition”, as well as the debut in the role of
Pamina, in the opera “Die Zauberflote” by W.A. Mozart, at the
Experimental Studio of Performing Arts “Ludovic Spiess” of the
National Bucharest Opera House – both events taking place in
January 2019.
The same year brings many other projects, including the master
classes with soprano Gabriela Benackova in Czech Republic, and
in Bucharest with Larisa Gergieva from Russia, Eleonora Pacetti
from Italy and Boiko Tzvetanov from Bulgaria, this training being
part of the “SUCCES” program of excellence and the international
“Lied Grand Prix of Romania” – where she wins the “Prize for the
best interpretation of a Romanian lied”. After this
accomplishment, she is invited to sing in a relevant concert, hosted
by the National University of Music Bucharest in collaboration
with the Mariinsky Theater Academy of Young Singers from Saint
Petersburg.
In October 2019, at the “Grand Prix George Enescu” competition
in Paris, she wins the Grand prize, the Public prize, the “George
Enescu” prize and the Special prize of the Romanian Opera in
Cluj (Grand Prix de l’Opera, Le Prix du Public, Grand Prix
“George Enescu”, Opera Cluj Special Prize). Later, in December,
she celebrated the National Day of Romania in Israel, singing at
the “Romanian Extraordinary Gala at Jerusalem” along with the
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.
In June 2020, she participated to another edition of the
“SUCCES” program of excellence and the international “Grand
Prix of Romania” competition, where she wins the “Prize for the
best interpretation of a French aria”.
In June 2021, she was a finalist in the International Singing
Competition “Ionel Perlea” (Slobozia, Romania), where she won
the “InArt Management Milano Special Prize”, the “Arteastic
Element Special Prize” and a masterclass with Nelly Miricioiu. It
was the same month that brought her debut in the role of
Contessa (“Le Nozze di Figaro”, W.A. Mozart), at The Comic Opera
for Children in Bucharest.
During the month of September 2021, she participated in the
Raina Kabaivanska Masterclass in Sofia, where she had the
opportunity to sing in concerts at the Plovdiv Theater and the
Bulgarian National Opera and Ballet. She is now also a student at
the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali Vecchi Tonelli, where she
was offered a 1 year scholarship for the Masterclass for vocal
technique and interpretation with Raina Kabaivanska. In October
2021, she was the winner of the 1st Prize Ex Aequo, at the
“Luciano Neroni” International Singing Competition.
Her studied role repertoire also includes Micaela (“Carmen”, G.
Bizet), Fiordiligi (“Così fan tutte”, W.A. Mozart), Liù (“Turandot”, G.
Puccini) and Mimì (“La Bohème”, G. Puccini).

Donghyun Raffaele Kim tenor

Born in Suncheon, South Korea in 1991, he graduated from Chungnam National University with excellent grades in the Opera Singing Department. Her singing debut was at the Jeonju City Choir.

He attends the “Giuseppe Nicolini” Conservatory of Music in Piacenza. Since childhood he has worked as a member of the choir and continues his musical activities. He has a variety of experiences in performing with orchestras through several auditions. His experience as a singer has seen him participate in works such as La Traviata, Rigoletto, La Boheme, L’Elisir d’amore, Otello, Lucrezia Borgia, Requiem by G. Verdi, etc.

He wins various competitions and is currently attending the Masterclass in “Vocal technique and repertoire interpretation” at the “Vecchi Tonelli” Higher Institute of Musical Studies held by the famous Raina Kabaivanska.

Francesco Cerrato   composer

Francesco Cerrato was born in Asti in 1982 and began studying violin with Lee Robert Mosca at the Suzuki Talent Center in Turin at the age of 4 years old and composition at 13 years old with Arturo Sacchetti. Since his childhood he has been the protagonist of international television and theater shows (RAI, Mediaset, Smith-Hemion Productions).

After graduating at age 17, he continued his violin studies with Pavel Vernikov. Cerrato has won numerous international competitions during the first phase of his concert career and has participated in more than 400 concerts in Europe, Russia, Africa, Brazil, USA, Korea and Japan. In 2012 he founded the research group on ancient music “Armoniosa” with which he has an intense concert and record activity throughout Europe. On the British magazine “Gramophone” Cerrato has been described as “an authentic violin ace”.

His polyhedral career brought him into contact with great artists of music and entertainment like Roger Moore, Audrey Hepburn, Al Jarreau, Carla Fracci, Reinhard Goebel, Pavel Vernikov, Giuliano Carmignola, Mario Brunello, Enrico Bronzi, Fabio Vacchi, Azio Corghi, Luca Ronconi, Giorgio Conte, Ron, Vittorio De Scalzi, Roberto Tiranti, Daniele Di Bonaventura, Javier Girotto, Rita Marcotulli, Giampaolo Bandini, Cesare Chiacchiaretta and many others.

He won the first prize at the “Mario Nascimbene Award 2016” an Italian international competition for the composition of film music. His song “On The Unicorn” from the last album produced by Machiavelli Music is nominated for the “Best Contemporary Classical Production Music Track” at the Production Music Awards 2019, London (UK). On 2021 he won the Grand Prize at the International Youth Music Competition, Atlanta (USA), with his concert music composition “Toccata” for four cellos.

He collaborate as a composer, violinist and music producer with the best international music labels like EMI-KPM, Decca, Sony, Naxos, Warner-Chappell and others. His music is daily broadcasted in TV shows (BBC, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, CBS, RAI, Mediaset and others), documentaries (Discovery) and independent films and series all over the world.

It is founder and president of Reddress S.R.L., a company born in 2018 for the production and distribution of music albums and event organization. Since 2021, with the production of “Larvae” a short film by Alessandro Rota, RedDress extends its activities as a film production company for independent movies.