"Alessandra Ammara"

"Young Ammara was impressive not only for the beauty and variety of her phrasing, for the luminous clarity of her virtuosity and evident control of all expressive means, but above all for her stylistic knowledge that... never seemed to lose the impression of the freshness of a youthful fantasy". (Leonardo Pinzauti, La Nazione, Firenze) Alessandra Maria Ammara has drawn the attention of the musical world after achieving brilliant results in some of the more important piano competitions, like the "Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli" in Desenzano, Italy; "G. B. Viotti" in Vercelli, Italy; "J. Iturbi" di Valencia, "Van Cliburn" di Fort Worth, etc.). In June 1998, when she won second place in "Casagrande" in Terni, Gian Paolo Minardi wrote: "...explicit in gauging sounds, as in the articulation of phrasing, that indicates an understanding of Mozart's language (Concerto K 488) and the spirit within his work, a talent already evident when Ammara commanded the attention of the commission with a seductive performance of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit..."
Her concert activity includes performances in all over Europe (the Societ� dei Concerti in Milan, Salle Cortot in Paris, the "Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, "Fryderyk Chopin" Society in Warsaw, "Museu Enescu" in Bucarest, Schloss Husum, Musikhalle in Hamburg and Brahms' House in Germany; and Spain, Malta etc.) North America (Jack Singer Hall in Calgary; Muttart Hall in Edmonton; Bass Hall in Fort Worth; Meridian Center in Washington; etc.) South Africa, Far East and Brasil, both as a soloist and with orchestras. She has played with many important orchestras like the Orchestra Sinfonica della Rai, Orquesta Ciudad de Cordoba, Calgary Philharmonic, KwaZulu Nata Philarmonic in Durban, Neue Philarmonie Westfalen, Philharmonie der Nationen etc.) with great conductors like Justus Frantz, Grzegorz Nowak, George Pehilvanian, En Shao etc.
Critics also defined her as a fine chamber musician. She collaborated with many great interpreters like Ingrid Attrot, Rocco Filippini, Alban Gerhardt, Anton Kuerti, Shauna Rolston, the Takacs Quartet etc.
In Summer of 1999 she was a guest of the "Mittelfest" where she interpreted the 24 Pr�ludes of Chopin and the magazine Musica noted that "...this restless Florentine musician has adhered strictly to the composer's intent and has presented one of the most stimulating performances oh those ever yielding to the danger, so often heard, of a virtuoso's attempt to overtake the music. Instead Ammara wisely and surprisingly interpreted passages with feeling and perfect control".
She recorded a cd for the canadian label "Arktos" with music by Debussy, Skrijabin and Chopin.
Alessandra Maria Ammara graduated from the "L. Cherubini" conservatory of Florence and the Accademia Pianistica of Imola. She honed her talents with some of today's greatest musicians, among whom are Maria Tipo and Franco Scala. She now attends the International Piano Foundation at Lake Como, and participates in the Master Classes of Dmitri Bashkirov, Leon Fleisher, Karl Ulrich Schnabel and Fou Ts'ong.
Alessandra Ammara is often invited to give masterclasses in all over Europe and North America (Alberta College, Edmonton; Brahms-Haus, Heide; Schloss vor Husum Germany etc.)
She has been invited twice at the Festival Autunno Musicale a Como.