Schola Romana Ensemble (IT)
Founded in 2000 by flautist and conductor Stefano Sabene, the Schola Romana Ensemble is a group specialising in early music. It presents multidisciplinary musical productions, often in dialogue with other artistic fields such as theatre, dance, architecture, visual arts, literature, and cinema. The ensemble has performed hundreds of concerts in collaboration with institutions, universities, and festivals in Italy and abroad. Its productions have featured singers, dancers, actors, and musicians such as Claudine Ansermet, Furio Zanasi, Riccardo Pisani, Grazia Galante, Alfredo Rainò, Simona Marchini, Andrea Damiani, Diego Cantalupi, Riccardo Minasi, Christoph Timpe, Andrea De Carlo, Simone Vallerotonda, and others. Committed to musicological research and experimentation, the ensemble explores an extensive repertoire ranging from the music of ancient Rome – including the reconstruction of period instruments – through medieval Europe to the Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, with particular focus on the Roman school.
https://www.facebook.com/scholaromanaensemble/
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AMARILLI
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Pieces by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina were masterfully interpreted by the Schola Romana Ensemble. The Missa Brevis, Lamentations, Offertories, and the Song of Songs were among the works performed. We were struck by the meticulous attention to technical detail with which Maestro Stefano Sabene conducted Palestrina’s music — with disarming ease. This was immersive music, despite the limited number of voices, clearly the result of serious and in-depth work. (Paolo Rodari, Agenzia Stampa Fides. Vatican City, 2019)
The use of early instruments, revealing unexpected sonorities in this context, combined with the inclusion of unique percussion instruments, represents one of the most compelling and original aspects of this fascinating sound world — brought back to life by the skill of the Schola Romana Ensemble. (Guerrino Mattei, Il giornale d’Italia Roma, 2016)
The protagonist of the evening was undoubtedly the Schola Romana Ensemble, conducted by Stefano Sabene, who delivered the variety of sonorities with complete stylistic mastery. This is an ensemble that seems to have reached an artistic maturity comparable to the most acclaimed European groups. A particularly strong impression on the audience was made by Allegri’s Miserere, performed superbly by this formidable ensemble. The performance concluded with long and heartfelt applause. (Maurizio Milazzo, Il corriere di Roma, 2014)
The Musica a Villa Patti Festival could not have had a more brilliant debut, elevated by the performers' virtuosity and colourful instrumentation. The audience responded with multiple enthusiastic rounds of applause. (Giuseppe Di Bella, La Sicilia, 2012)
Schola Romana Ensemble: a concert brimming with sunny Mediterranean vitality (Il Tempo Roma, 2010)
"Christus" – Silent Film with Sacred Music by Scarlatti
The Basilica of SS. Bartolomeo e Gaetano provided an evocative setting for Christus, a gem of Italian silent cinema directed by Giulio Antamoro in 1916. This special screening was uniquely accompanied by a live performance of Alessandro Scarlatti’s Passio, exquisitely rendered by the Schola Romana Ensemble under the direction of Stefano Sabene. (Paola Naldi, La Repubblica Bologna, "Christus" Silent Film with the Sacred Music of Scarlatti, 2009)
The Schola Romana Ensemble also performed in the Tallone Hall, presenting a programme rich in themes and emotions spanning three centuries. The performance featured captivating movements and melodies that made you want to tap your foot — perfectly matching the graceful rhythm of an elegant courtly dance. The music was especially enchanting, earning extended applause from the large audience in the hall — and even from those gathered on the small balcony outside. (Emanuela Bricco, Corriere di Novara, 2008)
Paola Alonzi studied at the S. Cecilia Conservatory in Rome under Valerio Paperi and later refined her skills with Paola Leolini. Specialising in the Baroque repertoire, she has performed roles such as Serpina (La serva padrona, G. B. Pergolesi, Rome, Teatro de’ Servi), Dirindina (La Dirindina, D. Scarlatti, Matelica Festival), and Amore (La rappresentazione di Anima e Corpo, E. De Cavalieri, Cortona Festival). As a soloist, she has appeared in works such as Stabat Mater by G. B. Pergolesi and L. Boccherini (Todi Arte Festival), Lamentations by A. Scarlatti (Rome Easter Festival), Passio DNJC by A. Scarlatti (Rome festival I Suoni dello Spirito), and La Risurrezione by G. F. Handel (Viterbo Baroque Festival). She has also performed cantatas by A. Vivaldi and G. F. Handel, as well as Mozart’s Requiem (Mozart Box Festival). She is a co-founder of the ensemble Roma Opera Omnia, where she performs as a soprano and oversees artistic production. Her work is featured on CDs, DVDs, and radio broadcasts (Radio 3 Suite).
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Baroque brilliance: Concert at Palazzo Doria Pamphilj
Luigi Rossi: Mio ben teco 'l tormento
After earning his diploma in Guitar at the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, Franco Todde studied Singing and Composition, refining his skills in Guitar, Choral Conducting, and Gregorian Chant with L. Brower, Eliot E. Fisk, K. Maximov, and A. L. Massa. He has won national and international guitar competitions both as a soloist and as a member of the Trio Chitarristico Romano. For many years, he has collaborated with the Schola Romana Ensemble, performing solo roles in productions of sacred music such as Passio by Alessandro Scarlatti, Historia di Abraham et Isaac by Giacomo Carissimi, Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel, and Oratorio di Natale by Johann Sebastian Bach. In 2009, he performed the role of St. John in La Resurrezione by Georg Friedrich Händel at the Viterbo Baroque Festival. He has recorded for labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Pentaphon, Cinevox Record, Musikstrasse, Chromamedia, and Simmetria Edizioni, and is also the author of educational works.
John Dowland: Come again
Gioacchino Rossini: LA DANZA - tarantella napoletana
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Lorenzo Sabene, born in Rome, began studying classical guitar at the age of 10 and later focused on the lute and early plucked instruments under Andrea Damiani at the Conservatorio di Musica “Santa Cecilia,” graduating with distinction in 2018. He specialised in baroque guitar with Xavier Diaz-Latorre in Barcelona and earned a degree in Musicology from "La Sapienza" University in 2023. A member of Schola Romana, he has performed numerous concerts in Italy and abroad, contributing to the promotion of Rome's cultural heritage. As a continuo player on theorbo and baroque guitar, he has collaborated with various ensembles and taken part in modern productions of works by Melani and Benevoli. Recently, he recorded a collection of madrigals by Girolamo Belli and appeared in the Klassiek in de Kapel concert series in Belgium and at the Festival Cervantino in Mexico. In addition to his performances, he is active in musicological research, contributing to projects such as ArtMus and curating concert programmes. In 2022, he won the absolute First Prize in the "ancient instruments" category at the Mario D’Agosto Competition.
GIROLAMO BELLI // I Furti Amorosi a 6 voci (selezione)
J.J. Kapsberger, Arpeggiata - Lorenzo Sabene, Chitarrone
Chaconne - François Le Cocq (XVII c.)
Stefano Sabene lives and works in Rome as a musician specialising in Early and Contemporary music. Founder and conductor of the Schola Romana Ensemble, he has performed hundreds of international concerts as a conductor, flautist, and singer of Renaissance polyphony, as well as a multi-instrumentalist in early music. As principal conductor of the Orchestra Mozart Sinfonietta, he has collaborated with soloists such as Boris Bloch, Luis Bacalov, and Carlo Bruno, and with composers including Sylvano Bussotti, Luis Bacalov, René Clemencic, Hans-Juergen Gerung, and Luigi Esposito, often conducting world premières. Stefano is also a composer specialising in electroacoustic music and the creator and performer of the Traverse Consort. In 1994, he received the international “Foyer des Artistes” Prize for orchestral conducting. He has collaborated on artistic projects with universities, academies, museums, and galleries, and has been invited to participate in broadcasts by RAI and Radio Vaticana.
https://www.facebook.com/stefano.sabene
PASSIO - Alessandro Scarlatti (Roma, 1679)
Dammi il dono del fuoco (Give me the gift of fire)
La Spagna