Elisabetta Brusa

Born in Milan, Italy, in 1954, Elisabetta Brusa started composing before she was 5 and created over 30 piano pieces and a string quartet (kept by memory through the years) before starting Composition studies  at the Conservatorio of Milan with Bruno Bettinelli (teacher of Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Riccardo Chailly, Maurizio Pollini, Uto Ughi), graduating with Azio Corghi in 1980 (Diploma di Composizione). From 1976 to 1981 she followed the Composition courses at "Dartington Hall", G.B., held by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and from 1978 to 1985 took periodical lessons from Hans Keller in London.

In l982 she won the lst prize of "The Washington International Competition for Composition for String Quartet" with her "Belsize" String Quartet". During the following years she was also given several other awards in minor competitions.
In l983, having been awarded the "Fromm Foundation Fellowship" and a "Fulbright" travel bursary, she followed the Composition courses held by Hans Werner Henze and Gunther Schuller at the "Tanglewood Music Center", Massachussetts, U.S.A.

In l988, l989 and l990 she was awarded Fellowships from the MacDowell Colony (U.S.A.) for artistic residencies to work on her first "Symphony" for large orchestra and other works.

She has had numerous commissions and her compositions have been performed in various cities in Italy, the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Canada, Austria, Ukraine, Czecoslovakia, Korea and Albania with orchestras such as the BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, CBC Vancouver Orchestra, Gera-Altenburg Philharmonisches, Aachener Kammer Orchester, Boris Brott Festival Orchestra, Virtuosi of Toronto, Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra of Tirana, London Chamber Symphony, New England Philharmonic of Boston, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, Alea III Ensemble of Boston, Contemporary Music Forum of Washington D.C., Women's Philharmonic of San Francisco, Frauen Kammerorchester von Osterreich of Vienna, Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra of Milan, I Solisti Veneti, Angelicum Orchestra of Milan, Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, Orchestra da Camera Gli Armonici of Palermo and many other chamber orchestras, ensembles and soloists.

Her music has been broadcast and televised by RAI Radio 1 & 3 and RAI TV 3 (Italy), Radio Vaticana, BBC Radio 3 (Great Britain), Radio CBC (Canada), Radios WETA, WCNY, WHIL, WJBC, WUIS-WIPA, WQUB, WUFT-FM, WFIT, WJUF-FM, WDAV, WABE, WBGH, WGBH, WGUC, WGMS, WKAR, WFCR, WFGR, WFFD, MPR, WPR, WUOT, WORT, WTMI-FM, WXXI, KUAT-FM, KBPS, KVNO, KSUI-FM, KGNU, KXMS, KDSI (USA), Radio MDR/Figaro (Germany), Radio Accent 4 (France), Radio Monalisa - Amsterdam FM & Radio OMROEP (The Netherlands) Radio SR (Sweden), Radio DR - Amadeus (Denmark), Radio ABC Classic FM Adelaide and radios 2, 3, 4 MBS-FM (Australia), Radio RTHK 4 (Hong Kong).

In 2002 the label Naxos recorded two CDs with 11 works for small and large orchestra with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. Vol. 1 - 8.555266 e Vol. 2 - 8.555267.

She has taught Composition since 1980 (Conservatorios of Vicenza, Mantova and Brescia) and at the Conservatorio of Milan since 1985 where since 2002 she also holds the biannual course of Traditional Orchestration for the Triennial Superior Courses (Bachelor) and annual for the Biannual Superior Courses (Master).

Elisabetta Brusa www.elisabettabrusa.it is married to the conductor Gilberto Serembe www.gilbertoserembe.it.