Faculty

Naomi Barlow, Nicoletta Benedetti, Cristina Caldera, Katia Catarci, Elisabetta Crinella, Valerio Di Paolo, Rebecca Rotondi, Renata Russo, Yurika Ishikawa, Luigi Laterza, Serena Laterza, Nicola Pignatiello, Stefano Silvi, Ann Stupay

Born in the United States, she began studying the viola at the age of ten. She is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin, Ohio), and has participatee in the prestigious Summer Festivals of Aspen (Colorado) and Taos (New Mexico) studying chamber music with the: “American” and “New Hungarian” Quartets. After holding a permanent  position in the Caracas Symphony Orchestra (Venezuela) and La Sinfonische Orkester Berlin (Germany), she won the Van Karajan Stiftung scholarship which allowed her to study under the guidance of Giusto Cappone and play with the Berlin Philharmonic with which she subsequently collaborated alternating her commitment with the Deutsche Opera.
In 1986 she moved to Italy, where she devoted herself to Chamber Music and teaching at the Viterbo Municipal Music School and collaborating with the Orchestra of the National Academy of S. Cecilia.
In 1990 she felt the need to develop a youth music educational program, to distinguish a musical training path with a social-cultural purpose from the primarily professional one of the conservatory. She founded the initial CeSMI association with the late pianist Shihomi Kishida and in 1995 the current association and the Viterbo branch.

She has extensive work experience in music and language in both school and extracurricular settings with children from 0 to 14 years old. From 2006 to 2018 she collaborated with the Maestre Pie Venerini Paritarian Institute in Viterbo dealing with music education in kindergarten and elementary school and organizing afternoon piano classes. From 2010 to 2012 he collaborated with the Il Piccolo Mondo nursery school in Viterbo, dealing with the implementation of a musical propaedeutic course. She holds a Master’s Degree in Modern Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Tuscia .
She has a diploma in piano with the old system, obtained as a private student at the Ottorino Respighi State Conservatory of Latina, under the guidance of teacher Antonella Bellavia.
In her musical training she studied with teacher Daniela Bellavia, maestro Carmelo Piccolo and maestro Fabrizio Bastianini.
She obtained her teaching certification for the LULLABY course at the Musical Garden Association, master trainer Marco Messina.
He has qualified for the First Level of the CML (children’s music laboratory) achieved at the Musical Garden association, master trainer Marco Messina and is waiting to achieve the second level level

She graduated in violin at the G. Verdi Conservatory of Turin under the guidance of Massimo Marin and in viola at the Morlacchi Conservatory of Perugia with Paolo Centurioni. She followed master classes held by Tibor Varga and Georg Mönch with the violin, and Reiner Schmidt with the viola, courses of early music with Enrico Gatti, and orchestra courses at the Music school of Fiesole.
She has taken training courses on teaching the Suzuki method, obtaining the qualification of the European Suzuki Institute as a level 3 violin teacher. She attended the CML training course with Elena Enrico and the didactic courses at the Music School of Fiesole with Sheila Nelson (London) and Egon Sassmanshause, a seminar on the Kodaly Method, with Prof. Horvat and on the Dalcroze method held by Louisa Disegni, SIEM Courses of General Didactics and a Willlems Method Course.
She played with the orchestra “Camera Eporediese”, the Italian Youth Orchestra, at the Teatro Regio in Turin, the Municipal Orchestra of Sanremo, at the Experimental Opera Theater of Spoleto and as a soloist with the Miami International Orchestra. Concerts and tours with the Chamber Orchestra of the Cantieri dell’Arte, the International Orchestra of Italy and with the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia.
She has taught violin at the Popular School of Testaccio in Rome, at the Suzuki School of Turin, at the G. Verdi School of Latina, the Ars Musicalis School in L’Aquila and the Municipal School of Fara Sabina. She worked at the Accademia di S. Cecilia as a specialist for stringed instruments during the creation and development of the JuniOrchestra. She currently teaches violin at CeSMI in a Rome.

Katia Catarci graduated in classical harp and in chamber music with top marks and honors. She is the winner of numerous competitions, she has received interpretation awards from the Accademia dei Concordi. She has performed in the main European capitals: Luxembourg, Paris, Bern, Tirana. She has attended courses on Paraguayan and jazz harp. She specialized in Suzuki method harp teaching at the Suzuki Center in Turin and in Elena Enrico’s Children Music Laboratory in Rome. She presented the Suzuki harp method during the Harp Congress in Edinburgh. Her students are winners of youth competitions as solists and as members of the harp ensemble. She is currently specializing in support activities in primary school at LUMSA in Rome. She has had the honor of playing during the liturgies in St. Peter’s basilica in front of the Holy Father Pope a Francis

She graduated in flute at the Padova Conservatory of Music “G. Bellini ”in 1991 under the direction of Maestro Marzio Conti and continued her studies at the prestigious Fiesole (Florence) music school and the conservatory of S. Cecilia in Rome and the Tommaso Ludovico da Victoria school.
Subsequently, she attended courses of high specialization with well-known masters such as K. Klemm, Alain Marion, A. Nicolet, P. Gallois and M ° R. Guiot with whom she obtained the diploma of the three-year High Perfection course.
She has performed in chamber ensembles and in orchestras abroad, in the United States, France and Germany, and in Italy. She is a founding member of the musical group “Laudanova” with which she has recorded the 3 CDs.
At the same time, she has always taught and has obtained the 3^rd level of Suzuki method training. She has taught at the “CeSMi” Experimental Musical Center for Children for several years in Rome. She was co-organizer of the II National Suzuki Flute Convention held in Viterbo in February 2013.

At the age of 10 he began studying classical guitar with Galia Marzi, and then continued his studies with Fabio Fasano, with whom he graduated from the Conservatory Gesualdo da Venosa (Potenza) with the highest marks and honors. He then continued his studies with Domenico Ascione, at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia (Rome), where he will earn his diploma.
He then continued his studies with Domenico Ascione, at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia (Rome), where he will earn a second-level academic degree, always with the highest marks and praise. In the meantime he studied with Angelo Gilardino as part of the three-year course in the city of Vercelli. During the first years of study he was the winner and obtained placings in national and international competitions. In June 2018 he also finished second in the international competition entitled to Maestro Domenico Ascione, promoted by the association Clivis. He has performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles for various associations including Emiolia (Potenza), Accademia Musicale Romana (Rome), Ludus Tonalis Accademia (Riano Flaminio, Rm). In 2014, on the occasion of the GuitFest at the Conservatory of Santa Cecilia, he performed, under the direction of Domenico Ascione, the composition for multi-instrumental staff “Nunc Et…” by Matteo D’Amico, inspired by “Nunc”, solo guitar work by Goffredo Petrassi. The performance was broadcast live on RadioCEMAT. In 2020 he participated in the Guitar Festival of the city of Viterbo with a solo recital. In 2021 he performed in duo with the pianist Veronica Placidi, as part of the same Festival. Also in 2021 he performs, for the first time, at the Festival “Let’s Stay Together”, promoted by the City Hall of Rome, the compositions of the composer Kevin Swierkosz-Lenart, for solo guitar (“Vision Fantastica”), for guitar and viola (“Sonata I” together with colleague Giorgio Bottiglioni, both dedicatees) and for guitar, viola and trumpet (“Erebos”, with Giorgio Bottiglioni and Armando D’Eugenio, all three dedicatees of the opera). He holds a chair at the Liceo Musicale S. Rosa

Graduated with honors in 2017 from the L. Reficie Conservatory in Frosinone, Rebecca Rotondi continues her studies specializing in Musica da Camera at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and the Fiesole School of Music. She has had numerous teachers, including J. Schultis and F. Storino. He is currently pursuing an advanced course in cello at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, under the guidance of F. Dillon and P. Bonomini.
He has taken Masterclasses in Italy and abroad with L. Blake, Z. Szabo, F. Pepicielli, C. Boorquez, M. Brunello, S. Muller-Hornbach, M. Kliegel, L. Gorokhov, S. Klinger, T.
Tetzlaff, A. Brendel.
He has played in various chamber ensembles, from duo, to trio and quartet, performing regularly in important contexts, such as the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the Società Letteraria in Verona, the Philharmonic Society of Trento, the Sala della Protomoteca of the Campidoglio in Rome, the Beethoven Festival in Sutri, the Trame Sonore Festival in Mantua.
Since 2019 he has been part of the Adhara trio. Since 2021 he has been playing in a duo with pianist Claudia Scatena. He has participated in numerous chamber music masterclasses with B. Canino, F. Dillon, V. Mendelsshon, L. Piovano, A. Meunier, A. Dressler.
She has also performed as a soloist in several Italian cities, with numerous concerts in Rome, Molfetta, Riano Flaminio, Anguillara Sabazia, Guidonia, Manziana, Bracciano,
Frosinone, Formello, Ostia and others.
He has been a member of numerous youth orchestras, such as the OGR (Orchestra Giovanile di Roma), the string orchestra Archi Accademia Nova, the ONCI (National Orchestra of Italian Conservatories), and the OGI (Orchestra Giovanile Italiana). With these ensembles he had the opportunity to participate in numerous concerts in prestigious venues in Italy and abroad, such as the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome, the Teatro Argentina in Rome, the Senate of the Republic, the Alicante Festival, the Festival dei due Mondi in Spoleto, the Dobbiaco Festival, make recordings for Vatican Radio, and take orchestral and chamber music lessons with Maestros such as: K. Blacher, M. Fiorini, S. Pagliani, G. Geminiani, M. Paris, R. Gonzalez-Monjas, A. Nannoni, A. Company and L. Klichkov.

She graduated in piano and conducting with top marks, at the Conservatory “Giordano” of Foggia.
She obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Letters at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome, with top marks and honors, discussing a thesis on Luisa Miller by Verdi.
Attended two courses in singing at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia lyric with the Masters Claudio Desderi and Renata Scotto and a course in conducting opera at the Accademia Pescarese under the guidance of M° D. Renzetti.
Perfecting in conducting with M° Pavlov in Pazardjik (Bulgaria) and M° Montebello in Vidin (Bulgaria)
Debuts at the age of 22 in opera with Il matrimonio segreto di Cimarosa at the theatre “U. Giordano” of Foggia and with Il barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini in the amphitheatre “B. Brecht” in Abruzzo.
In 2001 she took part in the celebrations of the centenary of Verdi, directing the Mass
Verdi’s Requiem with the orchestra “P.Tchaikovskij” of St. Petersburg and the choir of the Craiova Opera Theatre. Inaugurates the first edition of the Festival di musica Sacra di San Giovanni Rotondo, conducting the oratorio Christus am Oelberge by Ludwig van Beethoven for solos, chorus and orchestra and collaborates stably with the ICO Symphonic Orchestra “I suoni del Sud” Taking part in numerous festivals with opera-symphony concerts.
She is invited to conduct two symphonic concerts in the ICO season of Sanremo.
At 25 she won the auditions at the Stadttheater in Regensburg and the Staatstheater in Mainz and worked as pianist and guest conductor for the production of Loreley by A.Catalani, Bohème by Puccini, Don Carlo by Verdi, Elisir d’amore by Donizetti, The son of the forest of Holzbauer and Celan of Ruzicka, always getting great appreciation in these institutions for their work.
Since 2003 she has been working at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, where she has held numerous and significant positions, including that of assistant to the chorus master A. Giorgi, as a master collaborator of the theatre and stage, until 2005, when the then director of the Corpo di ballo of the Opera di Roma, Carla Fracci, wants her to be the piano teacher of the Compagnia, and immediately became personal assistant and musical collaborator of B. Menegatti for all productions made at the Opera under their direction, also taking care of the musical structure of the ballets. She continues to play the role of master collaborator also under the direction of M. Van Hoecke and Eleonora Abbagnato until October 2024.
In this role, she always joins the Opera House as assistant director of orchestra, alongside conductors such as Z. Pesko, W. Humburg, D. Coleman, D. Garforth, Kabaretti, Baklan, for all the most important ballet repertoire titles, from Nutcracker to Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Chisciotte, The Corsaro, Les Ballets Russes, Cenerentola, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, etc.
Plays as soloist in orchestra, in Cordovano by Petrassi, Pollicino by Henze, Aufstieg und
Fall der Stadt Mahagonny by K. Weill, Rapsodia Satanica by Mascagni, in Mozart’s concertos for piano and orchestra K 488, K 450 and K 415 in the ballet Le Parc, choreography by Prejlocaj, as solo piano in the ballet “In the Night”, choreography by J.Robbins on Chopin’s and Chopin’s Notturni “Chopiniana”, ballet with the heart. by Fokine on music by Chopin, adapted by G. Mancini.
She has signed the creation of musical structures for ballet, also overseeing its orchestration, both for the Opera di Roma, including Peer Gynt (with choreography by R. Zanella), La Vestale (cor. P. Chalmer), Lago dei cigni, (cor. B. Pech), G. Trakl and his sister Grete (cor. Veggetti), both for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples Sogno di una notte di mezza estate (cor. P. Chalmer).
From 2019, after participating in a training course on the Reticular Didactics and The Abreu System with M° A. Gargiulo, he collaborates with the youth social Orchestra “MusicaIngioco”, inspired by El Sistema founded in Venezuala and federated with the national system “music and society” and, in June 2019, in collaboration with the lyrical choir of Bitonto, directs the Traviata of Verdi, during the Festival of Arts for inclusion.
In November 2023 she directs the ballet “Lo schiaccianoci” with the ICO of Foggia at the Teatro U. Giordano, then at the Teatro “Verdi” of San Severo (Fg) and at the “Radar” of Monopoli (Ba) with the Compagnia Italiana di Balletto, for the first time in its debut in Puglia, receiving a great success and immediate sold out for performances.
In February 2024 she is invited to conduct the ballet “Giselle” at the Tirana Opera House, with soloists, ballet and orchestra, receiving great appreciation from both the audience and the staff of the theatre.
In March 2024 and April 2025, at the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano in Rome, she conducted “The last seven words of Christ on the Cross” by Haydn, with the choir Roma Vocal Ensemble and a string orchestra composed by professors of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, “Fountains of Rome” and the Juniorchestra of S. Cecilia, in the presence of the vicar of the Pope.
Collaborates with the Youth Orchestra Soundiff of Barletta and in March 2025 she conducted the first Absolute performance of “Aureae” by F. Lisena for piano and string orchestra.
Winner of the competition at the National Academy of Dance, since October 2024 takes the role as a teacher and pianist.

Born in Tokyo, she started studying the piano at the age of four.
From 1988 to 1992 she attended the “Tokyo College of Music” university where she studied piano under the guidance of Maestro Noriko Nanin, lyric voice under the guidance of Maestro Kimiko Aruga and music pedagogy methodology.
During her studies she taught piano to children in a private music school and performed as a piano accompanist. She graduated on 19-03-1992.
She participated in the graduate concert obtaining the highest score as a lyric soprano. She later held various soprano roles in five operas.
From 1992 to 1995 she studied as a lyric soprano under the guidance of Maestro Michiko Hirayama, from 1995 to 1998 she continued under the guidance of Maestro Giulietta Simionato and from 1998 to 1999 under the guidance of Maestro Antonietta Stella.
In May 1997 he participated in the “Green Songs” concert at Verdi’s House in Milan.
She achieved the fifth level of “Suzuki Method” training for piano under the guidance of Maestro Lola Tavor and the Children’s Music Laboratory with Prof. Elenaa Enrico.

He studied piano with R. Caporali and Vera Gobbi-Belcredi graduating brilliantly at the Conservatory “S. Cecilia”in Rome. He studied composition with Teresa Procaccini. He has participated in master classes with Bordoni in Assisi, Rosen in Sermoneta and Bogino in Dubrovnik. He further trained with H. Pell.
He has performed about 200 concerts both as a soloist (with orchestra and as a harpsichordist) and in chamber ensembles for many Italian municipalities, music associations and festivals such as: Rome (University Concert Institution, Auditorium S. Leone Magno; Roman Musical Association; with the International Chamber Ensemble etc.), Viterbo (various editions of the Baroque Festival; University of Tuscia; Rotary Club etc.), Turin (“Settembre Musica”), Catania (Agimus), Gaeta (Gaeta Foundation and S. Giovanni Association a Mare), Noto, Camaiore, Visso, Lecco, Orta S.Giulio (Sala E.Tallone), Sarno, Cascia (with the Cinecittà Orchestra conducted by P. Urbini), Tarquinia (Baroque Festival), Tuscania, Ronciglione, Capri (Panatenee Pompeiane) etc. He toured: in Spain in the 15th cycle of chamber concerts of the National Auditorium of Madrid and other centers (Avila, Soria, Albacete, Ciudad Real etc.); in Belgium (Brussels); in Albania (Tirana)
He made recordings for EMI and for the 1st channel of the Spanish National Radio. Since 1986 he has taught piano at the Municipal Music School of Viterbo, since 1993 at the Municipal School of Ronciglione and since 2003 he has collaborated with CeSMi. He completed the third level of the European Suzuki Association training course for teaching a Suzuki piano.

Serena Laterza studied flute with Mario Ancilotti and Angelo Persichilli at the Conservatory of S. Cecilia in Rome where she graduated in 1986. She attended the summer courses with Angelo Persichilli, Trevor Wye, Konrad Klemm and Marzio Conti at the Pescarese Music Academy.
She has performed numerous concerts as a soloist, in a duo with the piano, with guitar, string quartet, and in different chamber ensembles. She has collaborated with symphonic and opera orchestras (the Accademia di S. Cecilia) and has made recordings for RAI and laEMI.
She later became interested in music pedagogy while attending the Orff-Schulwork methodology and practical courses held by Giovanni Piazza and Ciro Paduano at the Donna Olimpia Music School (Rome) and the Kodaly Course at the Summer University of Esztergom, Hungary. Since 1988 she collaborates as a theory and solfeggio teacher in the Municipal Music School of Viterbo. She is a founding member of the CeSMI where she collaborates teaching flute, CML, solfège and ensemble music.
She was co-organizer of the II Suzuki Flute National Conference held in Viterbo in 2013.
She has obtained the third level of the Suzuki Flute training course organized by the European Suzuki Association and the second level of Children’s Music Laboratory a (CML) training.

He graduated in guitar with honors and honorable mention under the guidance of Maestro Domenico Ascione at the U. Giordano Conservatory of Foggia. At the same time, he graduated in Classical Literature at the University of Foggia. He then continued his studies for two years in the Netherlands where he obtained, cum laude, the Master of Music with Maestro Carlo Marchione at the Conservatorium Maastricht.
He teaches guitar in the Preacademic courses at the S. Cecilia Conservatory in Rome.
As a soloist he was the winner of various national and international competitions, including the Città di Barletta International Competition, the “Antonio Legrottaglie” Competition in Ostuni, the “GiulioRospigliosi” Competition in Lamporecchio, the Lecce “Città del Barocco” Competition.
He has always participated in various projects as a chamber musician in duo and quartet of guitars, in duo with flute and in chamber orchestras. Together with Daniele Sardone he forms the Duo Scarlatti, a guitar duo to which some of today’s greatest composers (M. Pisati, D. Bogdanovic, A. Gilardino) have dedicated new works for guitar.
He performs concerts in the main European capitals (London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Madrid) in various Festivals (Brescia Chitarra, Lagonegro Festival, Claxica Bologna, Aalborg Guitar Festiival, Encuentro Internacional Ciudad de Majadahonda) and has recorded for the main Dutch televisions (TVLimburg , BravaNL) and for the radio of the European Parliament a (Euradionantes).

graduated in Pianoforte with Luciana Ricotti at the Conservatorio Morlacchi in Perugia. He later obtained the Professional Qualification Diploma for Choir Directors issued by the European Community at the Guido d’Arezzo Foundation, studying with Maestros Francesco Luisi, Romano Pezzati, René Clemencic, Gary Graden, Diego Fasolis, and Piergiorgio Righele. He graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature from the University of Viterbo under Prof. Franco Carlo Ricci, with a thesis in History of Music on composer Davide Perez. He has attended courses and seminars taught by Guido Agosti, Gary Graden, Alfredo Grandini, David James, Carl Høgset, Francesco Luisi, Salvatore Sciarrino, and Marco Balderi. He holds a Master’s degree in “Conducting and Interpretation of Choral Music” held at the Guido d’Arezzo Foundation by Rinaldo Alessandrini, Ottavio Dantone, Diego Fasolis, Roberto Gabbiani, Gary Graden, Francesco Luisi, Carl Høgset, Peter Neumann and Philip White. For several years he collaborated with the Guido d’Arezzo Foundation in organizing the International Polyphonic Competition. As a pianist, for many years he has combined teaching and performing activities, collaborating with various groups; as a conductor he has founded and directed various choral and instrumental ensembles. He has given many concerts for important institutions in Italy, France, Switzerland, Great Britain, Norway, the Czech Republic, Germany and Ireland. He currently teaches piano at I.C. Scriattoli in Vetralla and is a member of the ensemble “Il Setaccio musicale,” with which he promotes the rediscovery and performance of Renaissance and Baroque musicians from Tuscia.

She began her musical studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, USA) under the careful guidance of Linda Cerone and at Ivan Galamian’s Meadowmount School of Music . She graduated in Music cum laude in violin from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the class of Paul Makanowitzky and Ruggiero Ricci.
In the same year, she came to Europe winning the audition for the Festival dei Due Mondi Orchestra in the USA and in Spoleto, Italy.
She then moved to Rome where she began to collaborate with the Orchestra of the Opera Theater and in 1990 became a permanent member of the orchestra. She was a member of the International Chamber Ensemble, with which she also participated in numerous tours abroad and recordings.
She began her training in Suzuki method in the United States, continuing in Italy where she obtained the fifth level of the Suzuki violin training course organized by the Italian Suzuki Institute. Since 2022 she is a Violin Instructor for the Europena Suzuki Association (ESA). She has the first level of CML training, Children’s Music Laboratory and the first level of ColourStrings.
In 2004 she founded the CeSMI branch in Rome which she continues to direct and teach Suzuki violin. She is vice president of CeSMI APS association.
She has translated the Suzuki Violin method for the Volontè editions and is co-author with Fiorenza Rosi, Virginia Ceri and Elio Galvagno of The Suzuki Method, Music as a looking glass for viewing the world (MERYC2009).
She co-directed the Viterbo Suzuki Workshop in 2017 and was co-course organizer for Suzuki Viola training course in Viterbo and Rome. from 2021-24
She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Suzuki Institute. and is Country Director representing Italy in the ESA board.