The team

ANDREA CAVALLARI

composer, visual artist & curator

Andrea Cavallari is an Italian-American composer and visual artist whose work operates at the intersection of sound and vision. He studied piano, composition, ethnomusicology and orchestral conducting, before specializing in composition under Franco Donatoni. For more than two decades, he has woven music and visual art into a unified practice. His compositions have been performed and recorded across Europe and the US ecorded by labels such as Rivoalto and Capstone Records.

Cavallari is also the founder and artistic director of several influential initiatives, including Firenze Suona Contemporanea (annual festival for experimental and contemporary music) and co-founder of London Ear Festival of Contemporary Music, which since 2013 has spotlighted new music and cross-disciplinary performances in London. In recent years, he has extended his artistic vision into visual arts – working on installations and exhibitions that transform musical sensibility into visual and tactile experiences, exploring the fusion of material, gesture, sound and image.

Based between Florence, London and Tokyo, Cavallari continues to shape contemporary art and music through composition, curatorship, and immersive audiovisual work. Recently he has been appointed artistic director for the Art Center Polytropon in Florence and composer in residence at Kammeroper Frankfurt. His music is published by Verlag Neue Musik (Berlin).

VERONICA DEL SIGNORE

company secretary

After a degree in Textile Design at the Istituto Statale d‘Arte of Florence, Veronica opened and managed a textile studio for 14 years. In 1995 she moved to London and started with Andrea Cavallari ASF LTD working in music between Florence and England for many years. In 1999 she founded the International Festival of Youth Orchestras in Florence and since 2016 she’s the President of FOG and the Production Manager for the festival. She keeps working with enthusiasm and care on her great passions, Music For The Youth!

MICHELE GRECO

technical director

Michele Greco, is a sound engineer, sound designer, and technical production manager based in Florence, Italy, with a diverse background. He studied music, particularly the violin, and attended the Scientific High School in his hometown in southern Italy. In 1999, he moved to Florence and enrolled in the degree course in Computer Science at the University of Florence.

While pursuing his university studies, Greco nurtured his interest in the technical aspects of music and theatre. He began working in small theatres in Florence in the early months of 2000, gaining valuable experience in understanding the needs and dynamics of both technical and artistic shows. He also became familiar with the artistic-creative cast and directors. From then on, Greco collaborated with companies specialised in rental and technical assistance for events and shows. He has consistently worked as a sound engineer for festivals and concerts in Tuscany and other regions, specialising in acoustic, jazz, classical, contemporary classical, and ethnic music. He has had the privilege of mixing concerts with renowned figures in these genres.

Greco’s twenty-year collaboration with composer, visual artist, and artistic director Andrea Cavallari has further enriched his interest and skills in contemporary music. He has also developed a strong interaction with contemporary art, working on the technical direction and sound design of various projects.

Events included in the international festival of art and contemporary music “Firenze Suona Contemporanea” have featured artists such as Michael Nyman, William Kentridge, Erwin Wurm, Vanessa Beecroft, Alfredo Pirri, Jannis Kounellis, Ensemble Interconteporain, IRCAM, Klangforum Wien, Roberto Fabbriciani, Ciro Longobardi, Michele Marasco, Ju Ping Song, Alvin Curran, Kammeroper Frankfurt, and Alwyn Pritchard. He has also collaborated with Cavallari at the biennial London Ear Festival and the International Youth Orchestras Festival – Florence.

Since 2017, he has been the technical and production manager at the Estate Fiesolana festival, held at the Roman Theatre of Fiesole in Florence. This is the longest-running multidisciplinary outdoor festival in Italy. Among his other notable collaborations, he has worked with Michael Nyman, handling technical direction, sound design, and FOH audio for both solo concerts, video installations, and concerts with the Michael Nyman Band. He has also collaborated with William Kentridge, following some of his performances in various technical roles, including technical director, FOH Engineer, and Sound Designer. Since 2014, he has created and/or managed the sound aspects of Kentridge’s performances, including “Paper Music,” “The Guided Tour for a Soprano with an Handbag,” “The Head and The Load,” “The Great Yes and The Great No.”

TAMSIN SMITH

UK and France productions

Tamsin graduated in Modern Languages from the University of Oxford before moving to Italy in 2002, where she worked as assistant artistic director of the International Festival of Youth Orchestras and the World Sacred Music Week (Settimana di Musica Sacra dal Mondo).

She has created and project managed several major European collaboration projects for youth orchestras funded by the EU and in 2005 founded the Provençal Festival of Youth Orchestras. Tamsin has also worked as a freelance concert coordinator for American choirs, orchestras and bands touring in France and the UK. She is a keen amateur musician and plays piano and accordion.

INÉS BALASCH

Spain productions

Inés Balasch Solá has a multidisciplinary background in psychology, art history, and education, with degrees from the University of St Andrews, The Courtauld Institute of Art, and the University of Buckingham. Her experience spans teaching, research, gallery work, and cultural production, including her current role with Accademia San Felice.

Multilingual and culturally adaptable, she brings strong analytical and communication skills to creative and academic projects. She is also deeply passionate about classical music and craftsmanship, which informs much of her professional and personal life. 

KOTOE SHIOIRI

Spain assistant producer

Event and exhibition project manager with 10 and more years of experience coordinating large-scale international events in Europe.

Specialized in Japan–Europe projects, executive support, stakeholder coordination, and on-site operations for exhibitions, festivals, concerts, and government-led promotions.

CHIARA PAGNI

Web master

Graduated from the Nemo Academy of Digital Arts in 2017, she immediately began her freelance career working with Okubo Station, a creative agency based in Florence.

She currently collaborates with professionals and creative organizations both locally and beyond, helping brands, professionals, and businesses communicate online through strong identity, style, and functionality.