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workshop berio 2025

Choral conducting and research workshop
as part of the Festival Luciano Berio
“Invito”: per un centenario (1925-2025)

Cremona, August 29-31 and September 12-13, 2025
Milan, September 14, 2025
Radicondoli (SI), October 17-19, 2025

An initiative byUnder the patronage ofWith the support and collaboration of

the project

Within the works of Luciano Berio (1925-2003)—a composer known for his deep interest in the possibilities of the voice—choral music represents a field of great significance. Among both famous works and lesser-known pieces, the choir recurs throughout his oeuvre, conceived both as a traditional ensemble and as a musical concept. For this reason, organizing a choral conducting and research workshop “in the name of Berio” has a precise and twofold significance. On the one hand, some of the composer’s ideas on the relationship between music-making and thinking find a perfect “breeding ground” in the choir. On the other, Berio’s human and artistic journey was rich in connections with other composers whose choral works can be interpreted in light of his words and ideas, as expressed in his writings or other sources.

This workshop, conceived by the Centro Studi Luciano Berio and ITER Research Ensemble on the occasion of the composer’s centenary, was born from these premises. It is designed for choir conductors with experience and a strong interest in choral music of the past century. The repertoire includes both published and unpublished works by Berio, particularly those from his early output, as well as pieces by composers who were close to him on a biographical, musical, or intellectual level.

Compared to a traditional conducting masterclass—primarily focused on musical or technical aspects—this workshop offers a different approach. The work on the repertoire will not be limited to the rehearsal process; rather, it will be complemented by historical and musicological analysis, conceived as an integral part of shaping the performance. Participants will therefore engage in two types of activities:

  1. Seminar sessions (online), focusing on an in-depth study of the pieces, conducted by different “teams” composed of members of ITER Research Ensemble;
  2. Rehearsal sessions (in person), where the group will gather to work as a laboratory choir.

The workshop includes two public events:

  1. A public rehearsal with a final performance in Milan on September 14, 2025, organized by Cori Lombardia APS;
  2. A concluding concert in Radicondoli (SI), the composer’s home place, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Luciano Berio’s birth.

At a glance: The call for applications

  • 5 spots for conductors aged 18 to 45, subject to selection
  • 1 spot for a conductor residing in Lombardy, fully funded with a scholarship offered by Cori Lombardia APS
  • Option to participate as an auditor, without selection
  • Participation is free of charge
  • Participants are responsible for travel, meals, and accommodation expenses for August 29-31 and September 12-13, 2025 (in Cremona)

➤ Read the full call for applications

➤ OUTCOME OF THE SELECTION PROCESS

the repertoire

Group A (choral works by Luciano Berio)

Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
E si fussi pisci
for mixed chorus (2002)

Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
Due canti siciliani
for tenor solo and male chorus (1948, unpublished)

Luciano Berio (1925-2003) / arr. by an unidentified author
Due canzoni popolari
(post 1947, unpublished)

  1. Dolce cominciamento
    for soprano solo ad libitum, female chorus and piano
  2. Avendo gran disio
    for tenor solo ad libitum, mixed chorus and piano

Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
Coro introduttivo a “La fanciulla di neve”
for mixed chorus (1958, unpublished)

Group B

Luigi Dallapiccola (1904-1975)
Prima serie dei cori di Michelangelo Buonarroti il Giovane MR 15a
for mixed chorus (1933)

  1. Il coro delle malmaritate
  2. Il coro dei malammogliati

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans
for mixed chorus (1898-1908)

  1. Dieu qu’il la fait bon regarder
  2. Quand j’ai ouy le tambourin
  3. Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain

Igor’ Stravisnkij (1882-1971)
Three Sacred Choruses
for mixed choir (1932-1964), Church Slavonic version and Latin version

  1. Otche nash / Pater noster K046
  2. Russian Credo / Credo K055
    new edition of the Latin version by Rebecca Favale and Giovanni Cestino (ITER Research Ensemble)
  3. Bogoroditse Devo / Ave Maria K057

Group C

Louis Andriessen (1939-2021)
Un beau baiser
for mixed chorus (1980)
from George Sand

Ernesto Berio (1883-1966)
In maggio
for male chorus (19??)
from Due cori popolari

Giorgio Federico Ghedini (1892-1965)
Due canti sacri
for mixed chorus (posthumous ed., 1983)

  1. Maria lavava…
  2. Dove vai Madonna mia

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) / arr. by Giovanni Cestino (*1992)
Il est bon, l’Enfant, il est sage
for mixed chorus and glockenspiel or equivalent (inedito, 2025)
from L’Enfant et les sortilèges M.71

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) / trascr. di Clytus Gottwald (1925-2023)
Toi, le cœur de la rose
for female chorus (2008)
from L’Enfant et les sortilèges M.71

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) / arr. by Luciano Berio (1925-2023)
An die Musik D 547
for mixed chorus and piano (1984)

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007)
Choral Nr. 1/9
for mixed chorus (1950)

The photo in the thumbnail of this project is by Gisela Bauknecht (courtesy of the Centro Studi Luciano Berio).