The Greek guitarist Antigoni Goni, Classical Guitar Professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel), enjoys a truly international career, both as a performing artist and as a pedagogue, performing extensively in Europe, Russia, North and South America and the far East, both as recitalist and soloist.
She was the founder and chair of the Guitar Department at the Juilliard Pre-College Division (where she also taught for 10 years), an adjunct professor at the Columbia University as well as Artist –in-Residence with San Francisco Performances where for 5 years she gave semi-annual performances, master classes and workshops for a diverse group of students and audiences. For her International achievements, the Royal Academy of Music in London awarded her with the honorary position of Associate Professor (ARAM).
As a performing artist who has lived and worked in both the U.S. and in Europe, the Volterra Project’s Founder and Artistic Director, Antigoni Goni, has a long and in-depth experience with both the cultural differences between these societies, and with the universal climate of competition that exists in traditional guitar training programs.
A richly gifted composer, improviser and guitarist, Dušan Bogdanović has explored musical languages that are reflected in his style today- a unique synthesis of classical, jazz and ethnic music. As a soloist and in collaboration with other artists, Bogdanović has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. His performing and recording activities include work with chamber groups of diverse stylistic orientations including The Falla Guitar Trio and jazz collaborations with James Newton, Milcho Leviev, Charlie Haden, Miroslav Tadic, Mark Nauseef, Anthony Cox and others. He has over fifty published compositions ranging from guitar and piano solo works to chamber and orchestral ensembles (Berben, GSP, Doberman-Yppan et al.), as well as close to twenty recordings ranging from Bach Trio Sonatas to contemporary works (Intuition, GSP, Doberman-Yppan, M.A. Recordings et al.).
Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at Technological University Dublin, Dr. Orla McDonagh is a concert pianist, pedagogue and higher education arts administrator. Originally from Dublin, McDonagh holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance from The Juilliard School for the Performing Arts in New York in addition to Masters and Doctoral piano performance degrees from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington. An active soloist, chamber musician and contemporary music practitioner, McDonagh has released multiple CDs and is broadcast via classical music media outlets nationally and internationally. Recent research interests include performance collaborations with actors and music recording production work. A regular guest artist at Conservatoires and music festivals internationally, McDonagh is a founding member of the McDonagh SistersDuo and The Wilde Trio.
Gianluca Reggiani studied the method of Jacques Lecoq and graduated from the Theater School in Bologna . Immediately after obtaining this diploma he began his journey as Actor Director Teacher continuing his training and specializing attending numerous seminars, workshop and courses with international renowned master teacher and artist. These experiences brought him around the world from Paris to Moscow, to new York. Very important for his training was the study of disciplines like Bio Dance, Thai Chi, Hata Yoga and in particular of Aikido of which he is a black belt. He integrates in its professional work the research and the study of some oriental disciplines and of new technique of integration between body and mind that do not exclude the spirit. A professional theater and cinema actor, and theater director, Gianluca Reggiani is today a renowned acting teacher leading a large variety of workshops, courses,and seminars in theater and acting.
Michèle Swennen received her education in Brussels in Jaques-Dalcroze rythmics, theater, and classical dance with Marina van Hoeck, and contemporary dance with Renate Peter. She also studied contemporary dance in Paris with Peter Goss, Betty Jones and Fritz Luddin, Michel Nourkil, Karin Waehner, and in New York with Jennifer Muller and Luis Falco.
In 1985, after returning to Belgium from the United States, she created the first center for contemporary dance in Brussels: “Flagrant Délit”. In this framework she further developed her work, becoming an affirmed choreographer and pedagogue.