Silvia Borzelli

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Born in Rome. She lives in Amsterdam.
She studied in Italy (Conservatorio O.Respighi) where she graduated in piano and composition, in Sweden (Malmö Musikhögskolan) and in The Netherlands (The Hague Royal Conservatoire) where she obtained a MA. She participated in masterclasses and courses such as Voix Nouvelles, Bartòk Seminar, De Musica, Impuls. Important for her artistic development the opportunity to meet and study with composers such as Brian Ferneyhough, Beat Furrer, Bernhard Lang, Yannis Kyriakides and Francesco Filidei.
She is interested in the relation between music and extra-musical concepts, in their dialogue with sound, form, and perception; she is interested in the perseverance of ideas, in poetical mechanisms, in musical materials able to behave as “statements”. She worked on a cycle (2009-13) around the concept of amnesia and the processes of transformation and re-codification of memories.
She received commissions and performances by musicians and ensembles such as ASKO/Schönberg, Nieuw, Linea, L’Arsenale, mdi, Reconsil, Notabu, Klang, Sentieri Selvaggi, 2e2m, Les Cris de Paris, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Quartetto Maurice, Arditti quartet, Duo Dillon-Torquati, Maria Grazia Bellocchio, Dario Calderone, Manuel Zurria, Matteo Cesari, Ryoko Aoki, Gareth Davis, Bas Wiegers, Jean-Philippe Wurtz, Jurjen Hempel and others, in festivals and venues such as, among others, Venice Music Biennale (Venice), RomaEuropa Festival, Nuova Consonanza (Rome), Milano Musica, Festival Rondò (Milan), Amici della Musica di Firenze, music@villaromana (Florence), Musica insieme (Bologna), Festival Aperto (Reggio Emilia), Festival L’Arsenale (Treviso), Rassegna di nuova musica (Macerata), La Via Lattea (Lugano), Voix Nouvelles, Festival de Royaumont (Royaumont), Festival Musica (Strasbourg), Institut Culturel Italien de Paris, Danse élargie – Theatre de la Ville (Paris), Orgel Park festival, Nederlandse Muziek Dagen, Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Gaudeamus Muziekdagen, Gaudeamus Muziekweek (Utrecht), De Link (Tilburg), De Doelen (Rotterdam), November Music (Den Bosch), Festival Synergein (Valencia), Estonian Music Days (Estonia), Contempuls Festival (Prague), ECLAT (Stuttgart), Unerhörte Musik (Berlin), Wien Modern / ISCM World New Music Days (Vienna), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Gaudeamus Muziekweek New York, Columbia University (New York City).
Selected and awarded in competitions as the IMC International Rostrum for Composers, V. Bucchi International Competition, H. Bosmansprijs and ISCM World New Music Days. Her music has been commissioned and supported by institutions such as the French Ministry of Culture, Radio France, Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, Musik der Jahrhunderte Stuttgart and the Fonds Podiumkunsten Nederland; it has been broadcasted by Radio France (FR), RÚV/Rás1 (IS), Radio 4 (NL) Radio 3 (IT) and some of her works are published by Muziek Centrum Nederland (Donemus).
She teaches musical insights in the Contemporary Dance Department at Artez Academy of Modern Arts (Arnhem, Nl). In 2018, she has been guest teacher in the Composition department at the Royal Conservatory (Den Haag).

Ordered by year. Most recent works appears first

Solo Instrument


Wooden for 5 octave Marimba, 1 logdrum, 1 woodblock (2015)

Instrumental Music


Wooden for 5 octave Marimba, 1 logdrum, 1 woodblock (2015)
Further In for cello and piano (2014)

Choral Ensemble


AND (amnesia 4) for 16 mixed voices (2012)

Solo Voice and Accompaniment


Hard Workin' Woman for soprano and doublebass (2011)
AND (amnesia 4) for 16 mixed voices (2012)
Further In for cello and piano (2014)
Hard Workin' Woman for soprano and doublebass (2011)
Wooden for 5 octave Marimba, 1 logdrum, 1 woodblock (2015)