Composers

Roberta Vacca was born in L'Aquila (Italy) in 1968. She obtained diplomas in Composition, Band Instrumentation, Choral Music, Choral Direction and Piano with Matteo D'Amico, Mauro Cardi and Francesca Martinini; she then obtained a superior degree in Composition at the Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia with Franco Donatoni and Azio Corghi, winning the S.I.A.E. grant for best students, and at the Accademia Chigiana, winning the prize "Emma Contestabile". In 1997 she received a special mention in "Bèla Bàrtok" Composition Competition and since then she won many national and international Prizes (finalist in the XX Edition of Belveglio Competition, special mention in the International Prize "Angelo Comneno" - 1998, special mention in the National Piano Prize "De Musica" - 1999 and 2000, 2nd prize at the First International Competition "Domenico Guaccero" and CEMAT Prize with a commission of an electro-acoustic opera for children in 1999, special mention at the International Competition "Egidio Carella", finalist at the first edition of International Prize "…a Camillo Togni", at the "Franco Evangelisti" Competition for the vocal part, III prize in the "Gesualdo da Venosa" Competition - 2000, I absolute prize at the International Competition of "Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia", on the occasion of the Great Jubilee of 2000, for composing an Hymn to S. Cecilia, I prize in the International Competition "G. Spontini" - section "Elevation", 2nd Prize in the "F.I.D.A.P.A." Competition, selection for "International Youth Music Forum" (Ukraine), finalist in the "28 Concours International de Musique et d'Art Sonore Electroacoustiques" (Bourges-France), special mention at the piano European Composition Competition "G.F.Malipiero" - 2001, 1st prize at the "Città di Barletta" and "Egidio Carella" Competition, 2nd Prize at the International Competition "ICOMS" and at the "8th Sacred Music Competition of Friburg", bursary for the "8th Wien Summer-Seminar for Contemporary Music" - 2002, 1st prize at 26th International Competition "Valentino Bucchi". In 2003 she was chosen as Italian Composer representative at the "International Rostrum of Composer" by UNESCO and in 2004 in Mexico, for the 26th Foro Internacional de Música Nueva "Manuel Enríquez" and for the "1st Biennal de video y cine contemporàneo - VideoFest2k4". She has recently won a bursary for the Mac Dowell Colony (U.S.A.), as artist in residence. Her works have been performed by several groups and interpreters in Italy and abroad (Austria, Canada, France, Hungary, Spain, Ukraine, U.S.A.). She has collaborated for projects on electro-acoustic music with AGON (Milan) and Istituto Gramma (L'Aquila). In 1997 she received a commission by an artistic committee chaired by Enzo Restagno, with George Benjamin, Gerard Grisey, Louis Andriessen and Roman Vlad, to take part to "Il suono dei parchi" project. Other commissions: in 1999 at Festival Pontino (Latina), to realize a multimedia opera; by RAI-Radio 3 radio broadcast "Paesaggi sonori"; by the International Symposium "Donne in Musica" (Rome); Festival Ovidiano (Sulmona); Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia for multimedia operas for children (2000/2004); by I.C.O. for an orchestral work; by Teatro delle Muse (Ancona) for the opening event in 2003 concert-season; by National Orchestra RAI, Nuova Consonanza Festival, Huddersfield festival and Biennale di Venice - 2004. She collaborated with BMG-Casa Ricordi for the edition of music scores. Part of her works have been published by Ars Publica and RAI Trade Editions. She graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature and teaches Musical Theory at "A. Casella" Conservatory in L'Aquila.