Krystal Classical Productions Presents The Italian Cello concert recital by prize winning cellist Umberto Clerici in his New York Debut

Considered one of the most promising young talents in Europe, Umberto Clerici was born in Turin in 1981 and he began the study of cello when he was five in the Suzuki School of Turin. Winner of several prizes, national and international competitions (among many: “Lorenzo Perosi” in Biella and “Antonio Janigro” international competition in Zagreb on 2004), in 2000 he took the diploma in Turin’ s Conservatory with full marks. On April 2002 he won an important national competition in Rome organized by I.C.O. association that will result in performing soloist concerts with 12 important Italian orchestras. He took part in master classes with Georg Faust, Steven Isserlis (in Kronberg), Julius Berger (Mozarteum Salzburg) and for two years in Siena’s “Accademia Chigiana” with Mario Brunello, where he won a special scholarship. He attended the courses of Mario Brunello at the “Romano Romanini Foundation” in Brescia, and of David GËringas in Fiesole. On the April of 1999 he made his debut as soloist playing Haydn’s D Major Cello Concerto in Japan. Afterwards he performed with many orchestras including “I Pomeriggi Musicali” in Milan, Orchestra of Rome, the Tuscany Regional Orchestra, Turin Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Padua and Veneto, “Haydn” of Trento and Bozen, Istanbul State Orchestra and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra collaborating with conductors like Lu Jia, Dimitri Sitkovetzki, Jean Bernard Pommier, Barry Wordsworth, Ola Rudner, Jurien Hempel and Marzio Conti. He recently recorded a CD of the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto Number 1 for RS label. Next season he will play with the orchestra of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in which Zubin Mehta is the principal conductor. In July 2003 he received a prestigious price in Florence called“Galileo 2000” together with the famous Italian violinist Uto Ughi and the Nobel prize-winner for Peace Simon Peres, and in August he performed as a winner of the Prize Concerts at the Salzburg FestivaL. He is the assistant teacher of Julius Berger’s class in the Summer Academy of Salzburg Mozartem and has been soloist in residence of Turin Philharmonic for three years. Since he was very young, he took part in several chamber music formations and he collaborated with the most important Italian soloists of the new generation such as Massimo Quarta, Domenico Nordio, Marco Rizzi, Mario Brunello, Enrico Dindo, as well as with the String quartet of La Scala Theatre and composers like Sofia Gubaidulina and Viktor Suslin. Since April of 2001 he has played in “Trio di Torino”. He plays a cello Gaetano Antoniazzi of 1864 by Pro-Canale foundation in Milan.

Monica Cattarossi, piano, was born in Treviso, Italy and currently has an active professional career in Milan, which combines a number of areas – solo, chamber, and lieder performances and accompaniment. She has given numerous concerts and recitals in Italy and abroad. She recently performed in St. Riquier and Radio France Montpellier Festival. She has also performed with numerous symphony orchestras as concerto soloist (Orchestra da Camera di Verona, Genova, Orchestra Giovanile Bulgara, Orchestra del Festival di Chioggia,Orchestra Sinfonica “G.Verdi” di Milano). She is included in the “Gioventù Musicale Italiana” artists’ list and has broadcasted for RADIO RAI 3 and Radio France. She has collaborated with outstanding artists such as Salvatore Accardo, Julius Berger, Mario Brunello, Bruno Cavallo, Ana Chumachenko, RoccoFilippini, Thomas Friedli, Karine Georgian, Peter-Lukas Graf, Michail Kugel, Franco Petracchi, Dora Schwartzberg. As an accompanist she was asked to work in “R. Romanini” Foundation in Brescia, “W. Stauffer” Superior Music Academy in Cremona, Superior Music Academy in Pinerolo and Summer Academy Salzburg. She is the official pianist of “R. Romanini” International Violin Competition, “A. Curci” International Violin Competition in Naples, “Rassegna Amati” in Cremona, Markneukirchen International Cello Competition and “Mozart” Competition in Augsburg. During last “Janigro” Cello Competition in Porec she got a diploma as best accompanist. Monica has distinguished herself in a number of piano competitions held in Italy both as a soloist and in duo. Among them in 2003 she earned 1st prize in “Cilea” Chamber Music Competition with the cellist Umberto Clerici. She received her diploma in piano at the “B.Marcello” Conservatory of Venice. Since then she studied piano with Jacques Rouvier in Paris, Konstantin Bogino in the Accademia of Portogruaro, and with Andrea Lucchesini. Along with her other activities she is also pursuing a triennial Master in Musicology in Cremona University of Music.