Stefano Gervasoni
Composition Jury 2022
Biography
Born in Bergamo in 1962, Stefano Gervasoni began studying composition in 1980 on the advice of Luigi Nono: this encounter, as well as others with Brian Ferneyhough, Peter Eötvös and Helmut Lachenmann, turned out to be decisive for his career. After attending the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, where he studied with Luca Lombardi, Niccolò Castiglioni and Azio Corghi, Stefano Gervasoni met György Ligeti in Hungary in 1990, and then, in 1992, he attended the IRCAM Course in Composition and in Computer Music in Paris. The first three years in France launched Gervasoni's international career that eventually led him to be artist-in-residence at Villa Medici in Rome for the biennium1995-1996.
With commissions from prestigious institutions such the WDR, the SWR, the Orchestra Nazionale della RAI, the Münchner Kammerorchester, the Festival d'Automne in Paris, Radio France, IRCAM, the Casa da Musica in Porto, the Festival Archipel in Geneva, the Divertimento Ensemble in Milan, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Ensemble Modern, the Ensemble Contrechamps in Geneva, the Maerzmusik festival in Berlin, the Ars Musica Bruxelles, the Festival Musica in Strasbourg, the French Ministry of Culture, Milan Teatro alla Scala and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Stefano Gervasoni has established himself as one of the most important Italian composers of his generation. His catalogue – which includes chamber and vocal music, concertos, works for orchestra, for ensemble and an opera (Limbus-Limbo) – is published by Ricordi and by Suvini Zerboni.
Winner of numerous prizes, including the recent "Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation Award" (2018) and Premio della Critica Musicale "Franco Abbiati" (2010), his work has allowed him to be a grant-holder at the Fondation des Treilles in Paris (1994) and at the DAAD in Berlin (2006) and composer-in-residence at Villa Médicis in Rome as fellow at the Académie de France for the years 1995-96 and at the Domaine de Kerguéhennec during the period 2008-2010. He has also been invited to teach at the Darmstadt Ferienkurse, on the courses organised by the Fondation Royaumont (Paris), at Toho University in Tokyo, at the Festival International de Campos do Jordão in Brazil, at the Conservatory in Shanghai, at Columbia University (New York), at Harvard University (Boston) and at Takefu International Music Festival. He has been composer-in-residence at Lausanne Conservatoire (2005) and at Yellow Barn Summer Academy (Vermont, 2016). Moreover, he has been visiting professor at ESMUC in Barcelona for the 2012-13 academic year.
Since 2006 Stefano Gervasoni has held a regular teaching position as professor of composition at Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris.
The musicologist Philippe Albèra wrote a substantial book on Stefano Gervasoni's work, Stefano Gervasoni. Le parti pris des sons, published in 2015 by Editions Contrechamps (Geneva). His last CD, entitled pas perdu has been released in 2018 by Winter & Winter.
(updated October 2018)
Events
76e CONCOURS DE GENÈVE - COMPOSITION FINAL ROUND
WEDNESDAY 26 OCT. 2022, 19:00, Conservatoire (Salle Franz Liszt)
The Competition is open to composers of all nationalities born after June 1st, 1982 (40 years old). The subject of the 2022 edition is a 15–20-minute work for vocal ensemble, composed for six singers: bass, barytone, tenor, mezzosoprano, soprano, high soprano (mezzo-soprano can be replaced by a counter-tenor). The use of electronics was allowed following certain specificities.
This year, 97 composers aged 18-39 years old, from 37 countries applied for the competition. The official jury, chaired by Beat Furrer, met in Geneva to study their scores; they selected three finalists to participate in the Final:
- Ármin Cservenák (26 years old, Hungary) for his work “Madrigali”
- Shin Kim (27 years old, Korea) for his work “The Song of Oneiroi”
- Yuki Nakahashi (26 years old, Japan) for his work “Settings”
The finalists are invited to Geneva from 20-26 October to rehearse and prepare for the Final. Their works will be performed as world premiere by the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart during the public Final Round on 26 October at the Conservatoire in Geneva.
COMPOSITION COMPETITION 2022
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15 JUNE
CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
- The 76th Concours de Genève Composition Competition will be held in October 2022. Its objective is to distinguish new works, composed at the earliest after June 2019.
- The Competition is open to composers of all nationalities born after June 1st, 1982 (40 years old). Composers who have already won the Queen Marie Jose International Music Composition Prize or the Concours de Genève Composition Competition are not eligible to take part.
CALENDAR
- 10 June: Deadline for completing the application form
- 20-22 June: Jury meeting, screening of the scores, choosing the finalists
- 23 June: Announce of the finalists selected
- 20-26 October: Stay in Geneva, rehearsals and concert
- 26 October: Final concert with the Neue VocalSolisten Stuttgart
WORK
The subject of the Composition Prize 2022 is a Work for vocal Ensemble, composed after following specifities:
- The work must last between 15 and 20 minutes.
- The work must be written for vocal ensemble of 6 voices.
- The ensemble set must imperatively be the following: 1 bass, 1 barytone, 1 tenor, 1 mezzo, 1 soprano, 1 high soprano (mezzo-soprano can be replaced by a counter-tenor)
- The work may (not mandatory) use electronic device. (see specifications in Annex below)
- The musical score may be hand-written or in digital form, but must be perfectly legible.
PRESENTATION
In order to better know the candidate’s personality and artistic background, we ask them to join to the submitted work the following items:
- A program note presenting their work (to be published if selected for the final concert), in English, French or German.
- A text or a video presenting their work in general and their artistic project for the future. This can be done in any of these following international languages: French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese or Arabic.
- A list of existing works, from which two works are chosen (max. 10 min.) for solo instrument or chamber music, to be performed in a concert organized by the Concours de Genève.