Cecilia Ziano, Clara Franziska Schötensack, Francesca Piccioni, Giorgio Casati
Five days dedicated to exploring, studying and sharing the string quartet repertoire in the hills of Alto Monferrato. The masterclass offers the opportunity to enjoy an intense experience with the teachers, as well as moments of exchange and conviviality with fellow students, in an environment specifically dedicated to focusing on music.
The course will focus on repertoire from all eras and styles, with a minimum of four two-hour lessons for each quartet.
During the masterclass, there will be a concert by the Lyskamm Quartett and concerts by the students organised as part of the Foresty International Music Festival.
The Casa della Musica offers a live room with modular acoustics, several study areas, a garden and a spa for relaxation: an ideal place for learning and music. Additional lessons and rehearsal spaces will be available in the village of Montaldeo.
The course is open to existing quartets, including newly formed ones; a maximum of 6 quartets will be selected.
The quartets will have the opportunity to take lessons with all the members of the Lyskamm Quartet.
The two most deserving quartets – at the sole discretion of the teachers – may be selected for two paid award concerts, thanks to the collaboration with organisations such as the Amici del Quartetto Guido Borciani (Reggio Emilia) and Associazione Musicadesso (Milan).
Cecilia Ziano, violin
Clara Franziska Schötensack, violin
Francesca Piccioni, viola
Giorgio Casati, cello
The Lyskamm Quartet was founded in 2008 at the Milan Conservatory. In 2016 the Borletti Buitoni Trust awarded the Lyskamm Quartet the special prize for chamber music named in memory of Claudio Abbado and which opened the quartet to an international career.
The quartet received the second prize and the special Pro Quartet prize at the international competition Franz Schubert und die Musik der Moderne in Graz, the Vittorio Rimbotti prize of the European Quartet Academy, the Jeunesse Musicale Deutschland prize, the studio of the Ad Infinitum Foundation and the first prize in the competition of the Possehl Stiftung in Lübeck and in the Gianni Bergamo Classic Music Award in Lugano.
The Lyskamm Quartet has been a guest in Italy and Europe, including the Società del Quartetto di Milano, Musicainsieme Bologna, the Festival Mito, the Unione Musicale and Lingotto Musica in Turin, the I Suoni delle Dolomiti festival, Gli Amici della Musica di Firenze, the international Quatuor festival in Bordeaux, the Aldeburgh Music Festival, the Brahms Festival in Lübeck and the Rheingau Musik Festival, Oxford University.
The quartet was a quartet in residence at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana and at the Amici della Musica of Padua.
The Lyskamm Quartet continued and completed its specialization under the guidance of Heime Müller at the Hochschüle für Musik in Lübeck.
In 2019, the CD dedicated to Bartok’s quartets was released with the magazine Amadeus, now reissued by NovAntiqua Records.
Attendance as a full-time student requires a course fee of €200; free access for auditors (subject to availability). Lessons begin on 31/07/2026 and end on 04/08/2026 (total no. 5 effective days). The course will be held in Italian/English. Lessons will be held at CDM’s premises.
The cost of the course includes:
The possibility, in the days following the course, to rent CdM San Michele studio at an advantageous price. For further information, please write to cdmsanmichele@gmail.com
Deadline for registration is: 18 May 2026.
A registration fee of €50 must be paid at the time of application.
Payment details:
Account holder: Associazione Montaldeo Musica
IBAN: IT02V0326848450052776248700
BIC/SWIFT: SELBIT2BXXX
Reason of payment: Name and Surname – Lyskamm Masterclass – Foresty International Music Festival 2026
By the 22 May you will be informed about the selection of the participants to the masterclass; in case of non-selection, the registration fee of €50 will be refunded. Payment of the course fee, amounting to €200, must be made by the 29 May. The accommodation fee, amounting to €250, must be paid by bank transfer one week before the start of the course. Any payment and bank charges are the responsibility of the participant.
In the event of late payment, for which bank transfer date of sending is decisive, a late payment fee of €75 will be charged.
Casa San Michele offers accommodation in an affiliated facility, a large shared flat, for the duration of the course. The facility has 6 double rooms, 1 triple room and 2 shared bathrooms. Preference for single rooms will be given in chronological order of registration (upon notification of preference). The organisation reserves the right to change the room allocation based on specific and particular needs, communicated in advance. If necessary, the flats are available to those who wish to stay the night before the start of the course (upon reservation) at an additional cost of €25. The night of the last day of the course is included in the price. The cost includes accommodation in a shared flat with a room equipped with bed linen (not towels), use of the SPA and CDM study areas, and 3 dinners during the course, served at the CDM facility. Water, fruit and snacks are always available in the CDM common area; other consumptions will be considered extras.
The remaining meals are at the discretion of the participants: the facility is equipped with a basic kitchen and a small pantry (coffee, pasta, oil, salt and other essentials). Two partner restaurants are located a short distance away (one within walking distance, the other 3.4 km away; if necessary, the organisation can offer a transfer service to and from the restaurant (included and upon reservation). Rubber slippers (non-slip), a towel and a swimsuit are required to use the SPA.
Any extras can also be paid for on site by bank transfer or cash. Please note that there are no tobacconists, pharmacies, grocery stores or ATMs in the village of Montaldeo; all necessary services are easily accessible by car or bicycle in the neighbouring villages.
Upon arrival, the transfer service from the stations can include a stop to purchase necessary items upon request.
For those who do not wish to use the accommodation service but prefer to find their own accommodation, the organisation still requires a contribution of €100 for the use of the facilities, spa, coffee, snacks and dinners.
The nearest railway stations are Ovada, Novi Ligure, Arquata Scrivia; a transfer service is available from the arrival station to Montaldeo at a cost of €15 per transfer (€30 round trip). The nearest airports are Turin, Milan, Genoa, with respective train connections. For those travelling by car, Google Maps shows the exact location by searching for “Casa San Michele Montaldeo”; the nearest motorway exits are Ovada (A26), Novi Ligure (A26/A7), Arquata Scrivia (A7).
In the event of cancellation of a course due to force majeure or failure to reach a minimum number of enrolments, both the enrolment fee and the course fee will be refunded.
The course fee, net of bank charges, will not be refundable in any other case.
The registration fee of €50 will be refunded only and exclusively in the event of non-selection or due to force majeure or failure to reach a minimum number of participants.
The accommodation fee will not be charged if the participant cancels (within one week of the start of the course).
Casa San Michele di Giulia Pastorino // Partita IVA: IT02568410068
