Meet Alessandro Carbonare and David Krakauer at the Chigiana Summer Academy
Clarinet course with Alessandro Cabonare
The Chigiana Music Academy is the oldest summer academy in Italy and has been welcoming musicians from all over the world for 90 years. With its experience in training the greatest musicians of the past and present, it addresses young talents to bring them to the highest level of artistic maturity. It offers its students countless opportunities and spaces to perform, the launch of a career being one of the fundamental points of the Academy. Since 2011, Alessandro Carbonare has been in charge of the clarinet class, succeeding Antony Pay.
First clarinet of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since 2003, Alessandro has lived in Paris and held the same position for fifteen years with the Orchestre National de France, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Chicago Symphony and the New York Philharmonic. He has also been invited by leading conservatories, including the Royal College of London, the Juilliard School in New York, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and the School of Arts in Tokyo.
The clarinet workshop will take place from July 18 to 30 in the magnificent Palazzo Chigi Saracini, in Siena (Italy).
"If you look at the names of the past students of the Academy, there are some incredible names, you can say that almost everyone has passed through the Academy Chigiana" says the musician. "Then, the places are magical… The headquarters is an old palace, with ancient paintings, statues… You feel like you are giving clarinet lessons in the Louvre! You can mix clarinet, cultural visits and vacations, Tuscany being one of the most beautiful regions in the world, and Siena a magnificent city..."
Students will be able to perfect the pieces of their choice during the course by indicating them in advance on the registration form. The entrance exam must be taken by video-audition, more information here.
Crossing Musical Boundaries, David Krakauer's seminar
For the past 25 years, David Krakauer has multiplied his projects crossing musical genres and pushing their boundaries. A major voice of classical music, he is also and above all considered one of the main figures of modern klezmer music, redefining and reimagining it by integrating elements of jazz, rock, funk and hip-hop.
In the face of rising sectarianism and intolerance around the world, his latest project Mazel Tov Cocktail Party (2022) brings together artists from a wide variety of genres and cultural backgrounds to deliver a positive counter-message celebrating our common humanity.
For the third year in a row, the musician will be giving his Crossing Musical Boundaries seminar at Chigiana Summer Academy. We asked him a few questions about this theme.
♦ What does this theme mean to you?
"I think more and more musicians today are being asked to be proficient in multiple genres. My course “Crossing Musical Boundaries” is designed to help young musicians gain more flexibility and fluency, and to be able to design new and interesting projects that will open them up to new possibilities."
♦ Why is this important?
"Today the market place for young musicians is getting tougher and tougher; so the more a musician can find their own special niche through either the ability to navigate through different styles or become deeply proficient in a new genre, the better they’ll be able to distinguish themselves and create their own unique 'brand'."
♦ Any advice for musicians to cultivate these crossbreeds?
"Finding new paths to music making is all a question of study, dedication and focus. If there’s a genre you love and want to play in that style, then follow your heart and go for it!"
See you from 18 to 23 July to explore new musical possibilities, beyond boundaries...
► Go to the Chigiana Summer Academy website
► Learn more about Alessandro Carbonare and David Krakauer
