About the Teachers...

Marcello Defant, Violinist, Artistic Director. A pupil of Ruggiero Ricci and Salvatore Accardo, Marcello Defant travels extensively in a very active performing and teaching career, which has taken him to China, the United States, France, Spain and throughout Italy. He has also performed in Turkey, Japan, Mexico, South America, Africa, England, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands.

Beyond his frequent collaborations as concertmaster with orchestras such as the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Haydn Orchester in Bolzano, Milano Classica, Orchestra da Camera di Padova e del Veneto, he is currently musical director of the Officina de li Affetti as well as of the Concord chamber music ensemble.

He has given masterclasses in France (Moulin d'Andè, Cratoule), Spain (Jimena de la Frontera), Italy (Accademia Musicale Pescarese, Orchestra Giovanile Siciliana, Ripatransone), and China (Kunmin University).

Since 2007 he has been appointed as violin teacher at the Giacomo Puccini Music Conservatory in Gallarate (Milan).

His discography as soloist is remarkable, since 1996 recordings for the Phoenix Classics label.

More info at www.defant.net

Dorothea Sessler, violinist, was born in Switzerland, studied violin in Berlin, Germany, and Basel, Switzerland. and graduated both as a teacher and soloist. After further studies with Max Rostal and masterclasses with Henryk Szering and Nathan Milstein, she won several violin competitions. She has concretized for many years as soloist and as a member of different chamber music groups throughout Europe and Asia. 

After holding the position of concertmaster in many orchestras in Germany (Nuremberg, Baden-Baden, Bamberg), Italy (Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Orchestra Filarmonica di Macerata, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento) and Austria (Innsbruck), she has served as concertmaster in Innsbruck for the last 28 years. 

 During this outstanding career, she has also been a very active violin teacher, particularly focused on the orchestral and chamber music repertoire, working with the European Youth Orchestra among others.

Anthony Shorrocks, violist, is Head of Performance, Department of Music, University of Liverpool. He comes from an extraordinarily varied musical background. His experiences include freelancing with the BBC Philharmonic, Opera North, CBSO, RLPO; jazz with the BBC Big Band, Johnny Dankworth and George Shearing; pop tours with Elaine Page, Neil Sedaka, and others; early music on period instruments and working with contemporary music groups. 

He has also taught at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester and several other universities, and is a Mentor on the Associated Board Certificate of Teaching course. At Liverpool University he has developed a course for performers that bridges the gap between instrumental lessons and final assessments, and he runs a nationwide consultancy for musician’s suffering from aches, pains, tensions and discomfort in playing and performing.

He has conducted in Zimbabwe and Europe, and has taken the Liverpool University Symphony Orchestra on tours to France, Germany and Tuscany. In 2004 he joined the Italian based Ensemble Concord as their viola player.

Sebastiano Severi, Cellist, started playing the cello at the age of 7, under the guidance of Lionello Godoli. He then studied at the United World College of the Atlantic from 1992 to 1994 under the guidance of Sharon McKinley. In 1995 he won the First Prize at the Dino Caravita Competition and was awarded the Diploma di Violoncellista at the Royal Philharmonic Academy in Bologna in 1997. In 1998 he received his Diploma at the Giuseppe Verdi Music Conservatory in Milan after having studied with Rocco Filippini.

He has been first cellist at the Teatro Regio in Turin, Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, and the Bruno Maderna Orchestra.

He also gives duo recitals with cello and guitar, cello and violin, cello and double bass, and plays in many other chamber music ensembles, with a repertoire from early to contemporary music.

Giacomo Battarino, Pianist, made his debut in Milan at the Circolo della Stampa and since then he has performed at most important Italian music institutions. He has also performed in Austria, France, Romania, Lithuania, Switzerland, Slovenia, Finland, Serbia, Cyprus, Sweden, Denmark, England, China and the United States.

He received diplomas with high honours from the Music Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, Italy and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in the United States. He studied with Paul Badura-Skoda, Boris Petrushansky, Maria Tipo, Richard Goode, Boris Bloch, Gyorgy Sandor.

His recording labels include the French Delatour and the Italian Philarmonia, Base Records and DeVega.

Piano Professor at the Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, the L.Cherubini in Florence and currently the G.Puccini in Gallarate. He has also served on the faculty of the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and the Cyprus College in Nicosia, Cyprus, and was Associate Director at the Casalmaggiore International Festival, as well as honorary professor of the Shandong University, Weihai, (China) and of the Central National University, Beijing (2007).

Oboist Renato Bizzotto was born in Switzerland.

After musical studies in Lucerne and Zürich he attended masterclasses with Ingo Goritzki and Jan Spronk. He played as principal oboe in the Shanghai and Beijing Symphony Orchestras from 2002 until 2005. At present, he is 1^st solo-oboist in the Symphonisches Orchester Zürich and substitute 1^st oboe in the Opernhaus Orchester Zürich.

He teaches oboe at the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau.