Every year, Divertimento Ensemble organises a Call for Young Performers / Piano, a masterclass held by Maria Grazia Bellocchio – Divertimento Ensemble’s pianist – and dedicated to the contemporary piano repertoire. The 2024-2025 masterclass is dedicated to the piano production of Luciano Berio (on the centenary of his birth), Mauro Lanza and Helmut Lachenmann. The course includes seven individual meetings from November 2024 to May 2025 and three concerts in June 2025 during which the students will perform.

The concerts will take place within the Divertimento Ensemble XXII concert season Rondò 2025 in Milan, in the Donatoni Hall of Divertimento Ensemble. Students are offered further performing opportunities, such as Piano City Milan and Festival Rondò in Monferrato (Piedmont).

This year, pianists Elena Campiotti and Joseph Howson were selected by the ULYSSES Platform to attend the Call for Young Performers / Piano.

Elena Campiotti

Elena Campiotti was born in Italy in 2002. She is currently completing her degree at Conservatorio Donizetti Bergamo, where she discovered her keen towards contemporary repertoire thanks to Maestra Maria Grazia Bellocchio. She has held many concerts in different festivals, such as Piano City Milano and Festival della Musica, Brescia.

She took part in different national and international competitions where she won important prizes such as the Second prize at international music competition Treviso, contemporary section, where she also placed second in her category.

Joseph Howson

Joe Howson is a versatile and award-winning pianist committed to the music of our time. He is currently a DAAD postgraduate scholar, studying with Florence Millet at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. Prior to this, he studied at the Royal College of Music and Trinity Laban, working subsequently at both institutions as a staff pianist. He is a regular performer of chamber music with Sinfonia Cymru and as founding member of the Farrenc Trio, and has also trained with such programmes as Lucerne Festival Academy, Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme, British Youth Opera, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group NEXT scheme, Grafenegg Festival Academy, and the Philharmonia MMSF Instrumental Fellowship.

WORKSHOPS

2024: November 2-3, December 7-8

2025: January 4-5, February 1-2, March 8-9, April 5-6, May 10-13

CONCERTS

June 12^th 7pm – Luciano Berio

June 12^th 8:30pm – Mauro Lanza

June 13^th 8:30pm – Helmut Lachenmann

Venue: Milan, Fabbrica del Vapore (Donatoni Hall)

More info here