About Child’s Play India Foundation
Child’s Play (India) Foundation (www.childsplayindia.org) is a registered not-for-profit music charity based in Goa and founded by Dr. Luis Dias, physician and musician. It is an El Sistema-inspired initiatve that seeks to instill positive values and provide social empowerment to India’s disadvantaged children through the teaching of classical music to the highest possible standard. We currently teach violin, viola, cello, recorder, transverse flute, piano and choir to over 100 children across several locations. We are currently hiring teachers and would welcome applications and enquiries from those interested. Write to [email protected]
BIOGRAPHIES
DUO RICCARDI-FEOLA
Angela Feola and Laura Riccardi were brought together by both friendship and their mutual love of chamber music whilst still students at the Conservatorio of Milan. There, they formed the piano trio Trio Degas with which they gave many concerts throughout Italy. Together, they furthered their studies at the Accademia del Trio di Trieste and have, since then, performed extensively as a violin or viola duo with piano to much public acclaim.
LAURA RICCARDI, violin
Laura Riccardi began violin studies with her father, the violist Tito Riccardi, before continuing at the Conservatorio Guiseppe Verdi in Milan where she graduated in 1992. Following her love of chamber music she specialised in the genre with Riccardo Brengola at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena where, in 1993, she was awarded the Diplome de Merit and, in 1995, an Honours Degree. In the same year she graduated from the Accademia del Trio di Trieste. In 2013 she graduated in Chamber Music studies from the Accademia di Santa Cecila in Rome. She has also studied violin and viola with Dejan Bogdanovich and Pierre-Henri Xuereb. She obtained a Diploma in Viola from the Conservatorio di Piacenza in 2006.
Laura Riccardi has collaborated with orchestras such as the RAI Symphony Orchestra of Milan, the Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swiss Italian Radio Orchestra, the Teatro Carlo Felice of Genova, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Turin, the Festival Strings of Lucerne, the Human Rights Orchestra of Lucerne and the Teatro San Carlo of Naples. From 1993 until 2007 she was a permanent member of Symphony Orchestra Guiseppe Verdi of Milan as violon leader and co-leader, playing under conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, George’s Prêtre, Rudolf Barshai, Valery Gergiev, Luciano Berio and Christopher Hogwood. She is currently a permanent member of the Mantova Chamber Orchestra and of the International Festival Orchestra of Stresa.
Laura Riccardi is a highly active chamber musician, exploring the different dialogues of both violin and viola in various formations. She is also a regular collaborator in the contemporary chamber group Sentieri Selvaggi, and with Ludovico Einaudi has toured the most prestigious festivals and concert halls of Italy and Europe.
Besides her concert activity, Laura is currently pursuing studies at the Suzuki Method at the Italian Suzuki Institute in Torino and, in parallel, teaches at the Suzuki Schools of Varese and Milan. She also devotes time to the training of amateur orchestras, convinced that musical experience is crucial to human and cultural enrichment, independent of technical ability.
ANGELA FEOLA, piano
After graduating from the Conservatorio Guiseppe Verdi in Milan, Angela Feola continued her studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg in the class of Alfons Kontarsky. Under the guidance of the renowned maestro she specialised in the discipline of piano duet, acquiring a thorough knowledge of the repertoire of the 20th century, of which Alfons, in partnership with his brother Aloys, was one of the most influential and distinguished performers. She later graduated with full marks in Advanced Recital Piano Duet from Trinity College/Guildhall of London. She has been a regular guest of major European music organisations, performing in prestigious halls such as Sala Verdi, Teatro dal Verme, Teatro Litta, Palazzina Liberty (Milan), Teatro Regio (Parma), Villa San Michele (Anacapri), Sala Piatti (Bergamo), Villa Aurelia (Rome), Villa Rufolo (Ravello), Temples of Paestum, Musikverein (Vienna) and the Grosses Saal of the Munich Hochschule.
Specialising in the music of the 20th century, Angela has recorded a CD of compositions by Paul Hindemith for Art Voice (Munich). She has also made recordings for Polish Radio and Television of pieces by Emmanuel Chabrier, and for RAIUNO of pieces by Darius Milhaud. Furthermore, she has given live concerts for Europa Radio Milan, TVParma and TV2000. She has also cooperated with L.I.M. (Laboratory of Musical Informatics at the University of Milan) giving the first performance of compositions expressly dedicated to the institution.
She has premiered many works especially dedicated to her, such as Robot Lunaire and Waldsehnsucht by the Italian composer Irlando Danieli, performed in May 1997 in Milan for Novurgia.
Following her success in 2001 at the International W. Jacobi Competition in Munich (19th century music for two pianos) Angela, together with her sister Nicoletta, were chosen to represent Italy in the Alumni Network, an artistic and cultural project promoted and supported by the Allianz Cultural Foundation. This foundation promotes new musical experiences in both composition and performance.
During her career she has cooperated with distinguished exponents from within the musical and the artistic world in general, performing under the baton of Aldo Ceccato (celebrating the music of J.S. Bach, the opening of the Teatro dal Verme in 2001), Valentina Cortese, Anna Nogara and Quirino Principe, to name but a few.
JONATHAN BAGER, flute
Jonathan entered the Royal College of Music, London in 1975 to study with Sebastian Bell. He graduated in 1979 and took up a post as flute and piano teacher at the Akureyri Music School, Iceland. In 1983 he moved to Reykjavik to become a member of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. During the following four years Jonathan played an active part in Reykjavik’s busy musical life, dividing his time between symphony orchestra, opera orchestra, ensemble and recital work, as well as flute teaching in local music schools. Jonathan returned to the United Kingdom in 1987. The move also saw him take a new professional direction: In 1989, following a course in information technology, he secured a post with a major U.K. bank in London. Alongside this new commitment he continued to pursue his musical interests with chamber music, recitals and involvement in London’s rich amateur orchestra scene.
In 1991 Jonathan moved to Switzerland. There he balances a day job in banking systems with musical activity in his leisure hours. He holds the position of principal flute in the Orchestre Symphonique et Universtaire de Lausanne and a regular concert giver in the Vaud region.
A frequent visitor to India, and Pune resident between 2011 and 2012, he gave a recital there in June, 2012, and in 2013 together with his two sons (piano and bassoon) he returned to India to make music across the country, playing concerts in Bombay, Goa, Calcutta, Bangalore and once again in Pune.
The Italian Embassy Cultural Centre – Mumbai Section, or Istituto Italiano di Cultura (IIC) is part of a worldwide network of 83 Italian government offices located in all continents with a view to promoting Italian culture and civilization. IICs organize cultural events, offer courses of Italian language and civilization, facilitate contacts between Italian and local researchers and scholars and cooperate with local cultural organizations and academic institutions.
