Valentina Grisafi

Pianist and Composer

Italy

Author

About

Valentina obtained the Academic Diplomas of I and Level in Piano with honors at the Conservatory of State Music ''A. Scarlatti'' formerly ''V. Bellini'' of Palermo under the guidance of Prof. Enza Vernuccio, and the Diploma of Composition (o.v.) at the Conservatory of State Music ''A. Scarlatti'' already ''V. Bellini'' under the guidance of Maestro Marco Betta. She attended a course of Ottoman-Turkish Sufi music held by Maestro Stèfane Gallet, Masterclass of Piano Specialization with maestros Michele Marvulli, Roberto Plano, Giuseppe Merli, Luminita Rotaru Costantinovici, Emanuele Torquati etc. She attended the Steinberg Cubase course at the Studios Academy in Rome. In the Academic Year 2011/2012 she taught Piano at the Preparatory Courses at the Conservatory of Music ''A. Scarlatti'' formerly "V.Bellini" in Palermo. In 2013 with the Ensemble "All Keys", curated by Maestro Giovanni Damiani, she performed in the first modern performance the "Four escapes in a dissimilar way, scientific work" (1844) in the instrumental version by Giovanni Damiani and, always with the Ensemble All Keys", in absolute premiere "The Study on the Secular Cantata by J.S. Bach BWV 202" for piano six hands. She performs concerts for various organizations and associations (Rotary Club Palermo Est, Ars Nova di Palermo, U.C.A.I, Amici della Musica ''B. Albanese'' di Caccamo, Settimana delle Culture, Le Vie dei Tesori, etc.) she performs as a soloist, but also in various chamber ensembles piano and clarinet with which he founded the Duo Euterpe (Piano four hands, Piano and Violin) always receiving acclaim from the public and critics. In 2015 she participated in the Piano Marathon Vexations by E. Satie, organized by the Teatro Massimo in Palermo. In addition to her concert activity, she has had performances by institutions such as the Fondazione Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Politeama Garibaldi in Palermo, Fondazione Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, Conservatorio ''A. Scarlatti'' formerly ''V. Bellini'' in Palermo. He composed the piece "Auris", for piano, commissioned by the Teatro Massimo of Palermo for the Festival Nuove Musiche, premiered in 2015, on the occasion of the visit of the Russian composer Sofia Gubajdulina and in her presence. Attentive to future generations, she participated in the project of the Municipality of Palermo in collaboration with the Conservatory ''A. Scarlatti'' formerly "V.Bellini", "My school becomes Conservatory" with a musical literacy program aimed at children from disadvantaged economic and social situations and at the end of this project he wrote with several hands the musical work for reciting voice, children's choir and youth orchestra "Ditirammu" on a text by G. Meli, performed in 2016 at the Teatro Politeama Garibaldi in Palermo. She curated the arrangement of the song "Dio fa qualcosa" from the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" by Alan Menken, commissioned by the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra, and performed in 2016, at the Teatro Politeama Garibaldi in Palermo, for the show "Cinderella Azzurro & Friends". From the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, two pieces were commissioned for the project ''In Attesa, ti racconto''. She wrote the song ''Panta Rhei'' commissioned by the Teatro Massimo in Palermo and premiered by EMC in 2018 for the Festival Nuove Musiche. She curated the arrangements of three pieces by Francesco Guccini of which, two for the Choir of White Voices of the Conservatory ''A. Scarlatti'' in collaboration with Maestro Antonio Sottile, and performed in 2019 at the Teatro Politeama Garibaldi in Palermo on the occasion of the visit of the Emilian singer-songwriter. She wrote in collaboration with three other young composers the opera ''La Lettera Scarlatti'' on a libretto by Chiara Giacopelli commissioned by the Conservatory ''A. Scarlatti'' already ''V. Bellini'' and performed at the Ferrara Hall of the Conservatory for the 2018/2019 Concert Season. Her compositions are published by Pizzicato Verlag Helvetia. In 2021 she received the prestigious award for classical-contemporary at the Global Music Awards in Los Angeles (California, USA) receiving the bronze medal for his ''Sicilitudine'' piano piece.

Sheets

Interview

What does music mean to you personally?

Music for me is my breath, my lifeblood, my life.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

Music in my opinion is creativity and sensitivity.

If you were not a professional musician, what would you have been?

Musician

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about the future?

No, I'm not worried. I have faith in the future. The music is eternal.

What do you envision the role of music to be in the 21st century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

As I answered the previous question I have faith in the future even if my country Italy, of little value to musical culture, but people still need to get excited, to dream, to fly especially in the difficult period we are experiencing.

Do you think that the musician today needs to be more creative? What is the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

I think that the musician today as yesterday must be themselves. Music is the language of the soul the composers tell a story, tell their feelings, their inner and outer world for what surrounds them. Creativity is important if accompanied by sensitivity.

Do you think we as musicians can do something to attract the younger generation to music concerts? How would you do this?

Yes, we musicians can do something for the new generations. Disseminate and explain music from childhood, then educate to music. The new generations are distracted by social networks, this trend should be reversed.

Tell us about your creative process. What is your favorite piece (written by you) and how did you start working on it?

I don't have a favorite piece, I love all my ''creatures''. Everything was born by chance.... I would sit at the piano and tell a story, an emotion. and there the melody is born accompanied by harmony, the theme that I later develop.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

The advice I give to young people who want to discover classical music for themselves is to feed on the music of the immortals and today we say that just a click and on youtube we find everything, but mainly to attend the theaters.

Do you think about the audience when composing?

No, I don't think about the public. For me, composition is a inner need, the means by which the soul is expressed.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

For the moment I am working on some piano pieces for my first recording work. My projects are a continuous search for my best ''feeling''. I take this opportunity to thank Anna for playing my music.