Teachers
Marco Vitale
Born in Palermo (Italy) in 1980.
He studied piano, organ, harpsichord and composition at Palermo’s “V. Bellini” Conservatory, where he took the piano diploma in 2001 and the organ diploma in 2002 with full marks and “Cum Laude”.
He took part in many international master-classes where he developed his skills and taste for baroque music. His concert life began at age of 15, with performances as a soloist and chamber musician. Since then his musical activity brought him to play, as a soloist and continuo player around Europe and Middle East.
In 2002 he moved to The Netherlands where he studied at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. He took a Bachelor’s degree in organ with Jos van der Kooy and a Master in Early Music (harpsichord) with Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot. Marco Vitale is the co-founder and musical director of “Contrasto Armonico”, baroque orchestra specialized in the performance of music in Italian style and baroque operas, using original instruments and historical performance practices.
He appeared in broadcasts by Radio 4 (Netherlands), Polskie Radio 2 (Poland), Rai Radio 3 (Italy), CatRadio (Catalunia), BBC 3 (United Kingdom) and the Syrian National Television.
In addition to performing with Contrasto Armonico he also gives master-classes about baroque music in France, Czech Republic, Italy and Syria. He is the musical director of the Damascus Baroque Soloists (Syria) and teaches at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.
For more information about Marco Vitale & Contrasto Armonico please visit this website
Marta Semkiw
Polish cellist Marta Semkiw was born in Elblag (Poland) in 1978. She was graduated in Cello at the Academy of Music in Lodz (PL) in the year 2002. From 2000 till 2002 she participated at the Academy for Ancient Music Oberlausitz in Goerlitz (Germany) with Christine Kyprianides. In 2006 she graduated in Baroque Cello at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague (The Netherlands) in the class of Jaap ter Linden; in her professional life she performed together with different musicians like Simon Standage, Ton Koopman, Charles Toet and Jaap ter Linden.
Marta Semkiw is the co-founder and the first cello of Contrasto Armonico, together with which is recording a series of CDs, for the Dutch label Brilliant Classics, dedicated to the Italian period of Georg Friedrich Handel. The first CD was Handel’s “Aci, Galatea e Polifemo” followed by the oratorio “La Resurrezione”. Currently she is recording the complete cantatas by Handel.
Marta Semkiw taught baroque cello at the summer academy for early music in Serrapetrona (Italy) and she is now the cello and chamber music teacher at the Arcadia Summer Academy.