Neapolitan Music Society
 

Board and Officers

Neapolitan Music Society Board of Directors

  • Peter A. Ravella, J.D., Chairman

  • Dr. Robert Gjerdingen, Professor of Music
    Northwestern University, School of Music

  • Dr. Guido Olivieri, Musicologist
    University of Texas, Butler School of Music

  • Michael Coughlan, Principal
    Hendrix Coughlan Media

  • Lauren Peters, CEO
    PetersGroup Public Relations

  • Dr. Neil Ravella

  • Maxwell Rothaus, J.D.

NMS Officers

  • Mº Gioacchino Longobardi, President & Artistic Director

  • Mº Alberto Vitolo, Assistant Artistic Director

  • Giuseppe Devastato, Artistic Adviser

  • Mary J. Longobardi, Secretary/Treasurer

NMS Fund Development

  • Frank Fuller, Director, NMS Grant Development

 

staff
NYU Skirball Center performance, April 2008
Anna Constandino, Alberto Vitolo, Dr. Robert Gjerdingen, Gioacchino Longobardi, Gov. Mario Cuomo, Mrs. Matilda Cuomo, Tiziana Pizzi, and Giuseppe Devastato

 

photoMº Gioacchino Longobardi

President, Artistic Director, Conductor, Pianist
Learn more about the Conductor

Mº Gioacchino Longobardi is currently President and Artistic Director of Neapolitan Music Society.

Mº Longobardi studied piano with Professoressa Tita Parisi and received his diploma in piano from the Conservatory of Music San Pietro a Majella di Napoli.

In the following years he also graduated in Choral Music, Choir Conducting and Composition, under the guidance of Mº Carmine Pagliuca, Mº Aladino Di Martino, and Mº Ugo Rápalo with whom he also studied Musica Sacra, Opera and Orchestrazione.

After completion of studies at the Conservatory of Music, Mº Longobardi expanded his knowledge in conducting at the Musikhochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg, under the guidance of Bernhard Konz, Kurt Prestel and Herbert von Karajan.

Mº Longobardi has devoted many years and considerable talent to the rediscovery of unpublished or rarely performed works of the Neapolitan School of Music of Eighteenth Century, conducting performances for a new generation of music lovers.

He has transcribed numerous works including Messa of Niccoló Jommelli, which he recorded in 2004.

Longobardi continues his endeavor as conductor and pianist, devoting his efforts as president of Neapolitan Music Society and Music director for Calvary United Methodist Church in Latham NY, in pursuit of further studying and revealing the work of the Neapolitan School Masters of the Eighteenth Century.

 

photoMº Alberto Vitolo

Assistant Artistic Director, Violinist, Researcher
www.amrds.it
MySpace

Born in Napoli, Mº Alberto Vitolo graduated from the Conservatory of Music San Pietro a Majella di Napoli, with Angelo Gaudino, disciple of Alberto Curci. He later attended courses in Fiesole and Palermo, bringing to completion his studies in symphony orchestra music with Giuseppe Prencipe and Angelo Faja and chamber orchestra music with Carlo Pozzi, Giacinto Caramia and Trio di Trieste.

Mº Vitolo studied chamber music with Daniele Gai, and attended International Course in Excellence, in Sulmona, with Trio Tchaikovsky.

His recording for R.A.I., Italian TV and Broadcasting Corporation, include Trio in G minor of B. Smetana; in duo and trio performances, Mº Vitolo also won numerous national competitions that led him to an intense activity in Italy and abroad.

He has dedicated many years to the study and research of unpublished or rarely performed works of the Neapolitan School of Music of Eighteenth Century, by editing and revising transcripts.

As concertmaster of Orchestra da Camera di Napoli, he revised and recorded Sinfonie Napolitane, a CD collection of unpublished symphonies of the eighteenth century Neapolitan masters. (Antes-Concerto, Recording Company).

In April 2004, he revised, recorded and performed Messa Solenne in Re Maggiore by N. Jommelli, with Sofia Festival Orchestra, as concertmaster.

Mº Vitolo is the Artistic Director of the Neapolitan Music Society and concertmaster of Neapolitan Symphony Orchestra.

He is Artistic Director of the concert series Romatinée Musicali and Sonoritá Italiana nel mondo in Roma and Artistic director Associazione Musicale Reggina Domenico Scarlatti in Reggio Calabria.

Since 2006 he is the Director of Coro Polifonico Salvo D’Acquisto in Roma.

In collaboration with Associazione Domenico Scarlatti of Napoli, he has brought to light innumerable masterpieces of that School, such as: Requiem of Niccoló Jommelli (1997 – Aversa, Convegno Internazionale), Sinfonia Venezia by Pasquale Anfossi, whose Andante was integrated by Mozart as Confutatis of his Requiem.

To celebrate the bicentennial of the 1799 Neapolitan Revolution, organized and sponsored by Council for the Identity of the City of Napoli, Mº Vitolo edited the revision and the production of the drama I Pittagorici by Giovanni Paisiello and libretto by Vincenzo Monti, to commemorate the victims of the revolution.

He revised a number of unpublished pieces including Concerto per Flauto e Archi by N. Logroscino and Terzo Coro from Sacrificio di Abramo, by D. Cimarosa, performed at Teatro di Corte di Palazzo Reale di Napoli,

He discovered, revised and transcribed Concerto per due Lire e Orchestra attributed to W. A. Mozart, performed at the Festival of Music in Paris.

 

photoGiuseppe Devastato

Artistic Adviser, Pianist, Composer
Neapolitan Master's New CD release
www.giuseppedevastato.it
MySpace

Giuseppe Devastato studied piano with M° Carlo Alessandro Lapegna. In 2002 he earned his diploma from Conservatory of Music Domenico Cimarosa, winning the Mazzotta Prize. He furthered his studies in 2007 and received his diploma in Composition. Currently he is devoting his attention to the study of conducting.

The vast knowledge of his repertoire gained him the privilege of being invited by the Hamburger Streichsextett (Hamburg – Germany) in 2008, performing throughout Europe.

The pianist Cordelia Roczek-Höfer of the Mozarteum of Salzburg has described him: “He is a deep musician with a mature and solid pianism, gifted with a strong musicality which he emphasizes with his timbric shades aimed to an extremely elegant sound blend.”

In 2007 he has performed the complete Beethoven’s Sonatas and Variations for Piano and Cello for the Ravello Concert Society, during the International Festival of Ravello.

He belongs to the generation of the great piano tradition of the Neapolitan School. He is invited as a jury member in piano competitions and has performed in music festivals such as International Festival of Ravello, Summer Concerts at Villa Guariglia, Sala Scarlatti, Teatro Verdi, and Teatro Marcello. In addition, Sala Baldini, Auditorium V. Vitale, Enescu Museum, Auditorium of the Culture Institute of Bucarest, Sala Felipe Villanueva, Teatro S. Benito Abad, Beethoven Hall in Bonn, and Steinway Hall in Hamburg.

He is active as a composer and arranger for Cinematography and Discography productions for Universal Classic, CAM, RAI, Classica Viva, Warner and Miramax, working in collaboration with composer Louis Siciliano. The first discographic work as a soloist L’Art du chant appliqué au piano is already available for purchase on www.classicaviva.com.

Maestro Devastato is an Artistic Advisor to the Neapolitan Music Society and the Artistic Director of the Piano Academy Neapolitan School Vincenzo Vitale and founder of the music festival V. Vitale.

 

Mary J. Longobardi

Secretary/Treasurer