Staff

We Have

The Founders

Chantal Balestri is a versatile classical musician active in the European & American music scenes. She has concertized as a soloist, chamber musician and in ensemble of contemporary music at important venues, including the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall and at Lincoln Center in New York. She studied in Italy, Germany and USA and currently is a staff pianist at New York University and a faculty member of musical academies in New York. Founder of the Festival “Amicizia in Musica” in 2015, since then she works as a promoter and organizer of international music festivals.

Chantal Balestri

Artistic Director

Trombonist and orchestra conductor, Andrea did his studies in Italy and Europe, including the ‘Florence Sinfhonietta’ with Piero Bellugi in Florence, the Frederick Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw with Szymon Kawalla e in Woergl (Austria) with Gustav Kuhn. Since then, he has conducted orchestras such as the Statal Concert Orchestra of Minsk (Bielorussia), the Swietokrzyska Philharmonic in Kielce e Statal Philharmonic Orchestra “Koszalinska” in Koszalin (Polonia). President of the Verdi Association in Fivizzano, since 2009 he is also the musical director and conductor of the “Puccini ‘Opera Ensemble”, then the “Tuscany Opera Ensemble”.

We Have The

Staff Members

Born in the south of Italy, Giuliana moved to Milan, graduated from Politecnico di Milano and became an Interior and Exhibition Designer. She undertook a Master in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York City (2020) and she has worked as Gallery Assistant and as Art Sales Manager. She gained a deep knowledge of Latin American Art while studying in Mexico City and Havana. Giuliana currently resides in Rome, where she’s taking a Master Degree in Arts and Culture Management at Rome Business School.

Giuliana La Monaca

International Concerts Promotion - Creative Assistant

Bianca is from Tuscany. She holds a bachelor degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs at Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna. Furthermore, she has had the opportunity to study in Nancy (France) and Bologna and got a Master in International Management where she developed team working and public speaking skills. Bianca is part of the Italian Youth Association of UNESCO as a fundraiser. Her role is to promote initiatives and events organized at a national level through the active participation of young people.

Bianca Panichi

Fundraiser Coordinator

Born in Florence, studied humanistic studies, then she specialized in communication and marketing. In 2008, she arrives in Lunigiana and she fell in love right away with the little town of Quarazzana (Fivizzano). Almost uninhabited, she decided to revive it by creating a new Bed&Breakfast connected to the arts. An old house from XV was totally rebuilt and the “Luna di Quarazzana” was founded. Enthusiast, passionate about arts in every aspect, food lover, Ilaria hosts travelers and artists from all around the world.

Ilaria Bacherini

PR - Fundraising Assistant Manager

Neda Vojinovic

Social Media Manager - Communication Assitant

American Korean pianist Jenny-Jieun Park is based in New York as an active soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She has been privileged to concertized internationally throughout her career, including venues such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Dohnányi Hall, and PyeongChang Hall.

Jenny Ji Eun Park

Co-Artistic Coordinator - Music Ed. Lecturer

Born and raised in Lunigiana, a territory he loves and to which he is extremely attached. These reasons lead him to a strong interest and commitment in the promotion of initiatives that give prestige and opportunities to the territory.

Fabio Luccini

Concert Season Promoter

Born in Rome, Flavia is a global citizen who lived around the world during the last 20 years and helped her two children grow across continents. She worked as a consultant for ERIN SA. and SITEL, along with many other national and international organizations, including dealing with the complexity of the corridors of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. In addition to assisting MEPs, she carried out research work for the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Flavia Guerrieri

Promotion Assistant (Europe)

Anita Lee is a violinist and international educator who taught both music and language acquisition across countries including Canada, the USA, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan, and China. Anita started learning violin at the age of 5 and continued studying with various renowned musicians. Anita was a member of IVAN-Formosa Quartet and received First Prize of the Young Musicians Chamber Music 58th Annual Competition in Canada. Anita has been also an active member in orchestras and is currently a member of Tianjin Juilliard Orchestra.

Anita Lee

Promotion Assistant (Asia) - Music Education Curator

After a degree in Cultural Heritage Science from the Universitá degli Studi di Milano and a year at the Sorbonne University in Paris, Elena is now a student at Rome Business School in the Master's Programm in Management of Arts & Culture . Elena believes that international experiences and sensitivities are a great asset in careers and in life, that is why she is fluent in three European languages. After living in France and Germany, she is now settled in Rome, where she is also the International Sales Manager for the German company Lot-tissimo Auction Technology Group.

Elena Scianna

External Communication Manager

Born and raised in Guatemala, Jose has worked alongside rural indigenous communities in the development, production and commercialization of crafts, foods, ingredients and services. He is currently based in Rome where he studies Management of Arts and Culture. His passion is bridging the gap between cultures and to assist in the articulation of different perspectives. His long term goal is to bring opportunities to his home country.

Jose Chang

Promotion Assistant - Central America

Jennifer Madero was born in Ecuador, graduated from University of San Francisco de Quito. She holds a bachelor degree in International Relations and a minor in Political Science. Additionally, she had the opportunity to study for a year in France where she developed her skills at teamwork and integration. Furthermore, she was involved in international volunteer programs where she was in charge of Event Organizer, Social Media and Project Manager, Cultural Mediator, Copywriter & Archival Programmer, where she had the opportunity to experience diversity in other cultures and languages.

Jennifer Madero

Promotion Assistant - South America

Born in Pisa, Filippo is finishing his studies in business management and economics at the University of Pisa, having had the opportunity to spend a semester studying at the Univerisity in Lille (France), where he tried new studying methods and met people from all around the world. Very passionate about sports and arts, he played football at a professional level and coached a team of children, while during summers he volunteered for children summer camps.

Filippo Balestri

Financial Assistant