At the Crossroads: A Conversation about Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari"

Deutsches Haus at NYU, Casa Italiana ​​Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, and Lunigiana International Music Festival present “At the Crossroads: A Conversation about Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, an evening with musicians and musical experts Chantal Balestri, co-founder and artistic director of the Lunigiana International Music Festival, stage director Federica Zagetti Wolf-Ferrari, and pianist Cameron Pieper that will focus on and celebrate the complex life and work of the important German-Italian composer.

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876–1948) was an Italian composer born in Venice to a German father and an Italian mother, a dual heritage that profoundly shaped his artistic identity. Trained in both countries, Wolf-Ferrari developed a distinctive musical language that combines Italian lyricism with German formal clarity. Widely celebrated during his lifetime, and particularly for his operas inspired by the tradition of commedia dell’arte, Wolf-Ferrari is increasingly recognized for his originality and his unique position at the crossroads of two major European musical cultures.

Chantal Balestri is the co-founder and artistic director of the Lunigiana International Music Festival and a versatile classical musician active worldwide. She has performedconcertized as a soloist, chamber musician, and contemporary music performer at major venues, including the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. She studied in Italy, Germany, and the United States, developing a strongly international artistic profile, and is currently Professor of Piano at the Conservatorio Scarlatti (Palermo, Italy). She previously served as Adjunct Faculty at New York University and as President of the World Piano Teachers Association – New York Section. Her work has been recognized by the Global Leaders Institute in collaboration with Harvard University, and reflects a strong commitment to fostering meaningful artistic exchange between young musicians, established artists, and local communities

Federica Zagatti Wolf Ferrari is an Italian opera director, producer, and theatre practitioner whose work bridges opera, community engagement, and interdisciplinary artistic practices. She has directed productions for the Arena di Verona Foundation at the Teatro Filarmonico, including works by Poulenc, Menotti, and Wolf-Ferrari. Founder of the Ars Nova Polyphonic Choir, she created the opera festival Un Paese all’Opera, an artistic and social project rooted in strong community involvement along the Venetian coast. Alongside her work as a director, she is active as a theatre educator, drama therapist, lecturer, and narrator. As the great-grandniece of composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, she is deeply engaged in research and archival work on her family’s artistic legacy and is currently involved in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the composer’s birth.

Cameron Pieper is New York City-based solo and collaborative pianist known to engage audiences through thought-provoking concert programs and interdisciplinary and heartfelt performances. Cameron has performed solo and chamber concerts around the country from the West Coast of the USA all the way to Tignes, France. Recent collaborative performances include recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. As a freelance pianist, Cameron enjoys regularly collaborating with musicians ranging from students to elite performers in the MET, Charlotte Symphony, and several Broadway musicals. In addition, he is currently a staff collaborative pianist at Lucy Moses School and the Special Music School at Kaufman Music Center.

This event is a prelude to the public program “Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari: A Portrait in Words and Music”–jointly presented by Casa Italiana ​​Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, Lunigiana International Music Festival, and Deutsches Haus at NYU–which will take place at Casa Italiana ​​Zerilli-Marimò (24 W. 12th Street; New York, NY 10011) at NYU on February 6 at 7:00pm.

“At the Crossroads: A Conversation about Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari” is supported by the DAAD from funds of the German Federal Foreign Office (AA).

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