about
Hi, I'm Alice!
Thanks to be here.
I am a polyhedral composer, conductor and multi-instrumentalist, whose greatest dream, in life as in music, is to bring different worlds together.
i'd rather call myself a
music explorer
If you are fond of nature with its vast spaces – the sea, mountains, sky – you know what I am talking about: that sense of infinity which makes you feel deeply connected to the whole macrocosm.
It’s a mystery, and this mystery is what drives me: my route. Like any explorer, I have a natural need for discovery and freedom: definitely my favorite tools. But perhaps, more than anything, I’m in search of deep union: this is my destination.
That’s why I always try to make sure that the fan of possibilities stays open: I approach music across the spectrum, ready to be surprised.
you can only
know what you love
Without love there is no knowledge, but the vice versa could also be stated. Music for me is and has always been a road towards knowledge and a great tool for transformation.
I was immersed in music from the very first day of my life – as well as in the belly – when my mom made me listen to Mozart’s Magic Flute. There are some clips of me at a few months old “playing” the piano (let’s say, getting familiar with it) and conducting the air with a pencil at 4. Nevertheless I was almost self-taught until 17: this apparent disadvantage was actually my blessing, because it allowed me to develop a very personal, intimate and creative approach to music, in addition to confidence in my own aesthetic judgment and a genuine contact with my sensitivity. Music was a choice, and also a call from above, when I was 25.
Since then, my passion has grown more and more, the complexity has increased, but the child’s eyes are still the same.
alone (but better)
together
As a composer, I spend a lot of time alone. That’s why I need so much, as a conductor and multi-instrumentalist, to play with other people: without exchange, I can’t survive.
Any form of art lives in the moment of meeting: by meeting myself, I find my truth; by meeting others (musicians and audience) I find that vital interaction that helps me not implode. Music is a dance, and for me it’s better if played together. Words are not necessary. Like making love: it’s important to feel and let yourself vibrate, and the rest will happen.
Keeping it all together is probably one of the most difficult challenges. Whether it’s the musicians of an entire orchestra or all the voices that live in my soul, I need harmony and, at the same time, space for the free expression of each part.
For this reason I see the performance as a space of co-creation with each individual musician, and commissioned writing as an opportunity to tailor a piece that enhances and reveals the true quality of the single performer. Conducting is an opportunity to go deeper into the knowledge of music, but also to express myself through the body and to share energy with musicians.
Absolutely
no separation
Music connects us to each other. It’s a bridge. I like building bridges: my contact with music is a total embrace, without boundaries.
For this reason my biggest enemy is separation: I hate compartmentalization and suffer a lot when there is no communication. Music is a universal language which teaches us first to look for similarities rather than differences.
Music, like every area in life, requires contamination to generate something new. I graduated in classics, philosophy and composition for film music, and each time it was like starting over again. So making music for several artistic areas and looking for connections between distant worlds is quite natural for me: I like to mix and transfer patterns of thought from one discipline to another.
into every nuance
360º music
It’s a matter of point of view. Each instrument selects music in a unique way: when I experience it, as a multi-instrumentalist, I begin to see 360 degrees.
Knowing the same piece from multiple points of view and understanding the perspective of each individual musician has helped me not only to have more empathy as a conductor, but also to grow as a composer, finding inspiration even from a few notes on instruments that I play poorly.
It’s very liberating, for example, to improvise on sax or violin without always knowing what note I’m playing. And also very creative: I follow the sound.
each work of art is a
living organism
Music runs through me, and one of my tasks is to make it flow, reminding myself that I am merely a channel of something else.
Diminishing awareness is the only way to let the work take shape. It’s the work itself that tells me how it wants to continue, so I have to put myself in listening. It’s a spiritual experience, I would say, asking for trust and permeability. But also something very physical and material.
I think that wonder is one possible key to grasp the deep meaning of things. Every work has in itself the vibration of the unknown: it asks me constant questions (giving ever-changing answers) and it’s a gateway to another reality (Mahler would say). So, in respect of this, I breathe, listen and stay ready to receive.