What
«Composing Nature» is a composition masterclass for percussion ensemble and/or electronics. It is open to students and composers of any nationality and it takes place in Lavarone, a beautiful town on the mountains in northern Italy. Admitted participants will have the opportunity of working on a piece assisted by three tutors and a percussion ensemble, taking inspiration from the local territory’s features and history.
Who
The institutions involved in this project are: the “C. Pollini” Conservatory of Padova, SaMPL – Sound and Music Processing Lab, the Municipality of Lavarone, the tourist office Alpe Cimbra and Taverna Maderna, an association of composers and performers focusing on contemporary music.
The tutors are Giovanni Bonato (composition), Julian Scordato (electronic music) and Massimo Pastore (percussion). Art Percussion Ensemble, directed by prof. Pastore, will be the ensemble in residence.
For any information on the course you can contact Leonardo Mezzalira at info@tavernamaderna.it.
When
From August 20th to August 28th, 2025. The start of activities is scheduled for August 20th afternoon, and at 6 pm the participants will be invited to attend to the opening concert featuring ContempoLab (the contemporary music ensemble of the “C. Pollini” Conservatory of Padua). The final concert of the course is scheduled for August 28th at 6 pm.
Where
The course will take place in Lavarone, a municipality of the district of Trento, around 1100 meters above sea level. The spaces for the activities will be provided by Comune di Lavarone; during the week the participants will be offered the opportunity to explore the local territory through walks and trips accompanied by an expert guide.
How
  • Applications are open until May 10th, 2025. In the registration form applicants are required to indicate their interest to create a piece for percussion and electronics, and/or only percussion and/or only electronics. Multiple choices are possible, in order of preference.
  • A maximum of 12 participants will be selected, each of whom will be assigned an instrumentation with as much respect as possible for the expressed preferences. One third of the places will be reserved primarily for participants enrolled at the “C. Pollini” Conservatory of Padua.
  • Admitted students will then be asked pay the contribution for the course (350,00€). Students currently enrolled in any courses of the “C. Pollini” Conservatory of Padua are exempt from the contribution. The payment method will be communicated at the time of admission.
  • Participants are required to book their own accommodation and food. For information and suggestions you can contact the organizer or the tourist office of the Municipality of Lavarone (alpecimbra.it). Participants who wish to seek shared accommodation will be brought together. There are n. 2 beds in a shared room at an extremely reduced cost, provided by the Municipality of Lavarone in case of participants in economic difficulties.
    • Letters of invitation are available when needed for visa applications.
  • All participants will receive a portfolio of materials relating to the territory of Lavarone and the Cimbrian Alps, which they can refer to as they are asked to imagine a piece that directly or indirectly refers to the territory, its history, its visual and sound landscape.
  • All participants are advised to prepare a sketch or project of their piece in advance (see the guidelines below).
  • During the first days of the course, theoretical and practical lessons will take place, and short outings may be planned to get to know the area (it is recommended to bring suitable clothing). Participants will work on their own piece under the supervision of the teachers.
  • Starting from Sunday, August 24th, the ensemble will be present in residence and will rehearse the pieces written by the participants. The proposed pieces, if possible, will be performed at the final concert, scheduled for August 28th, 2025 at 6 pm at the Lavarone Congress Center.
Download the application form (PDF)
The application form must be completed, signed, and sent by e-mail to info@tavernamaderna.it. The same e-mail must contain the following attachments:

  • Copy of an ID of the participant;
  • 1 to 3 recent scores in PDF format (should they be of big dimension a service such as Google Drive can be used) and audio files, in case of electroacoustic compositions;
  • A short CV.

Admitted students will be informed about how to transfer the 350€ contribution.It is possible to attend the lessons as a listener, by filling the application form and paying the registration fee (€150 for the entire course, €30 daily admission, no cost for students of the “C. Pollini” Conservatory of Padua). Applications to participate as listeners are open without any deadline.All lessons, rehearsals and other activities will be scheduled on site. At the end of the course all active students will receive a certificate and the performances will be recorded and filmed.

Guidelines for active participants
All pieces composed by the participants should have a maximum duration of 5 minutes and comply with the following guidelines.Percussion

Maximum 4 performers. Available instruments:Marimba (5 octaves) – Vibraphone (4 octaves) – Concert bass drum – 3 Tam-Tams (low, medium, high) – 4 Cymbals – 3 Drums (1 piccolo, 1 Snare Drum, 1 Side Drum) – 4 Tom-Toms – 3 Bongos pairs – 1 Congas pair – 2 Cowbells – 2 Woodblocks – 3 Dobachis. Small instruments, instruments provided by the composer and easy-to-procure objects can be added to the instrumentation by informing the organization.In order to facilitate stage changes during the final concert, some instruments will be placed in a fixed position for the entire concert (as below). The other instruments can be freely assigned to the stations marked with an asterisk. Of course, participants are not obliged to use all four stations: they can use a subset of the available instruments and instrumentalists.
Live electronics and/or digital mediaThe organisation provides technical support and the electro-acoustic system of the SaMPL laboratory at the “C. Pollini” Conservatory of Padua, which mainly includes:

  • d&b audiotechnik quadraphonic audio broadcasting system;
  • Yamaha DM1000 digital mixer;
  • wide variety of condenser and dynamic microphones;
  • Apple M1 computer and MIDI controller.

For any information about the instrumentation please contact Leonardo Mezzalira at info@tavernamaderna.it