MARIA GIOVANNA SICILIANO IENGO (GUITAR)
She begins to study classical guitar at the age of eight and since the first years, she is winner of important competitions both as a soloist and in chamber formations (Bardolino, Recanati,
Taranto, Roma). After obtaining her diploma with full marks summa cum laude under the constant guidance of M° Lucio Matarazzo, she attends musical exhibitions of great importance
and she is winner at the
“International Competition of Guitar N. Fago” of Taranto and at the prestigious “International Tournament of Music”.
From 1996 to 2005 she is member of the “ Guitart Quartet” (GQ) and she develops with it an important as well as intense artistic activity. She is dedicatee with the GQ of the Italian Concert
for four guitars and orchestra of A. Gilardino, performed at the première in 1999 in Torino with the “ Musicians of Saint Pelagia Orchestra”, directed by P. Ferrara.
On May 2000, she has opened the “14TH International Festival of Spring A. Segovia” of Madrid. Several covers have been dedicated to her on international magazines (Chitarre, Classical
Guitar, Gitary Swiat). She made the first world recording of the composition “The Barrio band” of the Uruguayan U. Ferretti present in the CD “Images” produced and distributed by
Montevideo University. On July 2000 she played with S. Hackett (legendary founder of Genesis), F. Gambale (ex Chick Corea band) and M. Colonna for the Guitar Event 2000 in Catania.
She has worked with the actor Alessandro Haber, with whom she created a show entitled “Histoire du Tango”.
She is the dedicatee of the “Concierto Italico” composed by Leo Brouwer for GQ: the first Italians to whom the Cuban teacher dedicates one of his concerts. The first world execution took
place at the “Todi Art Festival” and was repeated in Cuba, in the USA, in Poland, in Germany, in Portugal and in Spain. Since this event was born a documentary film (directed by
Gianfranco Martana) released on DVD by the publisher Guitart.
In November 2001, another absolute world première: the “Rhapsodic Concerto, Op. 80” written and dedicated, for GQ, by the Polish composer G. Drozd performed at the Festival of Lublin
in Poland, followed by a tour that touches the main Polish cities. In 2002, the GQ holds an acclaimed tour in the USA with the Hartford Festival Orchestra conducted by Brian Sparks for the
Connecticut Classical Guitar Society and held two master classes for classical interpretation of guitar music and chamber music at the Hartt School (University of Hartford).
In 2002 the British magazine “Classical Guitar” dedicates to her its cover and a long interview by Colin Cooper and M. Summerfield inserts it in the prestigious book “The Classical Guitar”
that collects all the celebrities of the guitar world since 1800 until today. In 2003 she gave concerts throughout Europe standing out, in particular, at the Festival of Iserlohn, one of the most
important guitar festivals in the world.
It is in distribution, created by GQ, the CDFrom Spain to South America(Niccolò records), with music by Albéniz, de Falla, Torroba, Brouwer e Piazzolla (defined by the French magazine Les
cahiers de la Guitare: “Et toujours règne cette impression très pleine due à l’interprétation qui est musicalement très impressionnante tant sur le plan de l’ensemble que sur celui de la
couleur et de l’expression – très
sensible... les interprètes sont géniaux »).
In 2007 she was invited to give a concert as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra “F. Chopin” in the prestigious festival “Mozart box”.
In 2009 she was invited with the Diva Parthenia to the transmission “Uno Mattina” aired on Rai Uno.
On May 2009 she has been the protagonist as a guest star for the classic “Concerto del Cuore” for the earthquake victims of Abruzzo and “Artafrica” musical evening organized to raize
funds for Tanzania.
She is teacher of guitar at the musician school “Ragazzi d’Europa” in Casalnuovo (Naples).
