catalogue: CONNESSIONI
Trio Primavera is an all-female ensemble dedicated to promoting contemporary chamber music and the works of composers – from both the past and present – whose music is rarely performed or presented in world premieres, and who often struggle to reach wider audiences. Founded through the collaboration of three musicians living between Italy and the United States, the ensemble aims to foster encounters among diverse cultures and musical experiences, woven together in a shared practice grounded in a strong spirit of research, listening, and mutual exchange. The originality of this chamber group lies not only in its instrumentation – with Alessia Monacelli on violin, Claudia Calì on piano, and Elga Ciancaleoni on viola and solo voice – but also in its creative mission and shared commitment to bridging distances to make music together, guided by a distinctly female determination. Trio Primavera made its debut in the summer of 2023 with the world premiere of Trio-Sonatina, written and dedicated to the ensemble by composer Carlo Pedini. In 2024, the trio opened the conference for the project “Dream AP: A Dream of Young People with Down Syndrome”; performed the concert “Baroque Inspirations” at the Segni Barocchi Festival in Foligno; and inaugurated the Officina Musicale di Spoleto season with a concert entitled “A Women’s Tale.
Alessia Monacelli graduated with highest honors in violin from the Conservatory of Music in Perugia. She subsequently pursued advanced studies with A. Salvatore, F. Gulli, and E. Gatti, specializing in Baroque performance practice. She has performed in concert with numerous instrumental ensembles, including I Solisti di Perugia, Symphonia Perusina, the Perugia Chamber Orchestra, the Abruzzese Symphony Institution, the Camerata del Titano (San Marino), the Perugia Symphony Orchestra, and the Baroque instrumental ensemble Archomelos. With these groups, she has appeared in prestigious venues both in Italy and abroad (Spain, France, Switzerland, Lebanon, Egypt, and Japan). She has collaborated with internationally renowned soloists and conductors such as K. Ricciarelli, F. Ayo, T. Indermühle, A. Bocelli, J. Tys, C. Rossi, B. Canino, A. Persichilli, T. Hink, F. Meloni, R. Filippini, G. Westley, and G. Benson for Umbria Jazz. She regularly performs with the Orchestra of the Papal Basilica of Assisi and the OIDA Orchestra of Arezzo, where she also serves as concertmaster of the first violins. She has recorded several CDs for the labels Bongiovanni, Dynamic, Kho, and Camerata Tokyo. She currently holds a position as tenured music teacher at the “A. Mariotti” Music High School in Perugia, Italy.
Elga Ciancaleoni earned degrees in Violin, Viola, and Voice (Opera) from the Conservatory of Music in Perugia, as well as a Master’s degree in Musical Studies with a specialization in Vocal Performance and Music Theatre of the 18th and 20th centuries, graduating with highest honors and distinction from the same institution. After advanced training in violin with Maestro Cristiano Rossi and in viola with Maestro Alfonso Ghedin, she gained extensive professional experience performing with various chamber, orchestral, and symphonic ensembles, often serving as principal viola, both in Italy and abroad (Greece, Belgium, France, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Japan, among others). She has accompanied internationally renowned soloists such as Richard Galliano, Francesco Di Rosa, Fabrizio Meloni, Francesco Manara, Bruno Canino, Stefano Bollani, George Benson, David Geringas, Paolo Fresu, and others. She has made recordings both as a soprano soloist and as an instrumentalist for the labels EMI, Tactus, GiottoMusic, and Paoline. Her operatic roles include Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Mrs. Grose in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw, and, in 2006, Ramiro in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera. She has also performed as a solo vocalist on film soundtracks composed by Andrea Guerra, including Ferzan Özpetek’s Sacred Heart (2005), Per non dimenticarti directed by M. A. Avati (2006), Olé by the Vanzina brothers (2006), Parlami d’amore directed by Silvio Muccino (2008), and Santa Barbara for Rai Fiction (2012). In addition, she collaborated as a solo singer on the multimedia project Il genio e la vita, directed by Giovanni-Iris Fabbri.
Claudia Calì is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Queens College, City University of New York, where she teaches piano pedagogy, research methodologies, and music education practices for early childhood and elementary settings. Based in New York, she collaborates with several organizations in the professional development of educators and in the promotion of arts-based educational projects for young children, including the New York Philharmonic and the Newark Arts Council. She graduated with highest honors from the Conservatory of Perugia and began her musical career in Italy. After earning a Liberal Arts degree from the University of Perugia and a Master’s degree from the Catholic University of Milan in Musical Communication for Discography and Radio, she specialized in London in piano teaching through the Suzuki method. In 2006, she moved to the United States, where she continued both her concert and teaching activities, and in 2015 she earned a Ph.D. in Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Alongside her performance career, she maintains an active academic profile, publishing extensively in international journals of music education. In Italy, she is co-author of a volume published by Edizioni Simone for the national music teacher certification exam and has also published with PM Edizioni and Libreria Musicale Italiana