The Fall 2009 concert series at Columbia University’s Italian Academy for Advanced Studies will present three recitals by leading proponents of contemporary music.
The program will be as follows:
Scelsi - Quattro Illustrazioni sulle metamorfosi di Visnu
Janacek - In the mist
Saariaho - Ballade
Rihm - Klavierstuck 7
Messiaen - Le courlis cendre
Harvey - Tombeau de Messiaen for piano and soundrack
The recipient of several Italian and international awards, Emanuele Torquati has performed extensively throughout Europe, United States and Canada, giving solo recitals in such diverse cities as Banff, New York, Chicago, Vancouver, Boston, Lyon, Metz, Leipzig, Prague, Munich, Graz, Milan and Rome. He is a notable performer of new music and enjoys a diverse and varied career as a pianist.
In March 2008 he was artist in residence at The Banff Centre with the project “Voyage Messiaen”. Highlights of the 2009 season include the American Tour with cellist Francesco Dillon and the Debut of Degenerated Music Project at ILHMEC Chicago as well as various first performances, among others a new work by Siemens Prize laureate Miroslav Srnka.
He has worked intensively with leading composers including Sylvano Bussotti, Wolfgang Rihm, Kaija Saariaho, Beat Furrer, Jonathan Harvey, Brett Dean and he has collaborated with musicians such as Michael Gielen, Roberto Fabbriciani, Liliana Poli, Susanne Linke, Krater Ensemble and FontanaMIX.
His activity has been supported by Institutions such as Federazione CEMAT, Accademia Musicale Chigiana, DAAD Bonn, Ambassade de France en Italie,Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Graz, International Ensemble Modern Academy.
Torquati was born in Milan in 1978. His most influential teachers were Giancarlo Cardini and Konstantin Bogino. He also worked closely with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Nicholas Hodges, Ian Pace, Michael Wendeberg. He went on to specialize in Chamber Music first with Franco Rossi, then he achieved a Master Degree at the International Chamber Music Academy of the Trio di Trieste.