“An exceptional personality: a profound sensitivity which picks up even the slightest hints of the score; an imperceptible delicacy during imaginary moments, and then a force, an emotional enthusiasm which is immediately recognizable”
(la Sicilia – S. Sciacca)
Silvia Massarelli combines her enthusiasm and dedication to music with significant rigor in concert and a natural talent for sharing the joy of making music, thereby creating an atmosphere of solar energy which characterizes all of her performances. A particular affinity with the world of French music, along with attention to the most creative expressions of contemporary music as though they were uncommon repertoires make Silvia Massarelli a distinctive performer on the Italian musical landscape.
First woman conductor to win the “Grand Prix de direction d’orchestre” at the International Besançon Competition (Jury President, Manuel Rosenthal). Critic’s prize at the Prokofiev Competition of St. Petersburg, and the only winner at the Robert Blot Competition of Paris, Silvia Massarelli studied at the St. Cecilia Music Conservatory of Rome, and at the National Superior Conservatory of Music in Paris, where she graduated with highest honors, unanimously given.
As a pianist she has won, among others, the first prize (the only awarded) at the J.S. Bach international piano competition in Paris, where she debuts as soloist with orchestra at the Salle Gaveau.
Assistant to M. W. Chung at the Bastille Opera House of Paris, and to Laurent Petit-Girard at the Opéra Comique of Paris, Silvia Massarelli has collaborated with internationally renowned musicians such as Claude Delangle, Martin Spandenberg, clarinet soloist of the Munich Philharmonic and Jean-Yves Fourmeau, sax soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic.
She has conducted first world performances of numerous composers, among them Jacqueline Fontyne, Edison Denisov, Lowell Liebermann, Eric Tanguy, Thierry Escaich, Lorenzo Palomo and Nicola Campogrande. She has also participated at the Nordic Music Days Festival in Reykjavik and she has received invitations from various orchestras of great prestige around the world like: New York Philharmonic, Wiener Kammer Orchestra, Orchestra du Capitol of Toulouse, Lamoureux Concert Association Orchestra, Mulhouse Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra of Pays de la Loire, Nancy Symphony Orchestra, Tours Symphony Orchestra, Handel Festival Orchestra of Halle, Podlesia Opera and Philharmonic of Bialystok, Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, Ecuador State National Orchestra.
Among the numerous Italian orchestras she has conducted, stand out Turin Philharmonic Orchestra, and Rai National Symphony Orchestra. After her debut at the MITO Festival she has conducted at the prestigious Grande Salle Philharmonie 1 in Paris with great success.