VA - Mater Alma (New Music on "Ave Maris Stella") (2021)

Coro Facoltà di Musicologia: The Coro Facoltà di Musicologia was officially founded in 2002 under the artistic and musical direction of Ingrid Pustijanac, who conducted the group until 2013, when the role passed to Giovanni Cestino. The group consists of students of the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage of University of Pavia in Cremona, and it is a student-run association. The Choir regularly performs in Italy and has visited several European countries, including Germany, France, Croatia, and Finland. Through the nearly twenty years of its activity, various joint projects and collaborations were realized with several university choirs, amateur groups, and professional ensembles and soloists. Joining choral practice with musicological research, the Choir often performs works by lesser known composers, beside mainly Renaissance and twentieth-century music. Playing an institutional role in academic life and a constant presence in the various activities of the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage, the Choir aims to provide its members with an enriching musical, social, and cultural experience.

Giovanni Cestino: He holds a degree in Classical Guitar from the Conservatory of Alessandria, a MA in Musicology from the University of Pavia, and a PhD in Musicology from the University of Milan. He also took courses in Composition, Conducting, and Renaissance Lute. He collaborates with LEAV – Ethnomusicology and Visual Anthropology Lab (University of Milan), and with Centro Studi Luciano Berio (Florence). He is a faculty member at Milano Choral Academy, and has been a visiting fellow at the Harvard University Department of Music. As a conductor, he mainly focuses on choral and twentieth-century music. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Milan