MAESTRO  GIOVANNI  MINAFRA     

graduated with distinction from the Conservatory N. Piccinni in Bari, in Southern Italy, teacher in the same conservatory of music in Bari and in Foggia.  He played with the Symphony Orchestras of Bari, Lanciano, Pescara, Fiesole and Alexandria.  With the Orchestra of the Teatro Petruzzelli of Bari, Giovanni participated in prominent tours in great international theaters in cities as: Paris, Leningrad, Rio De Janeiro, Cairo, Sydney, Moscow, Lille and San Paolo.  Many recordings were made for RAI and other renown record companies, under the direction of noted conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Oren, Carlo Franci, Evelino Pidò, Janos Acs, Seymour Lipkin, Michele Marvulli, Bruno Aprea, Nicola Hansalik Samale and Donato Renzetti. Minafra is a Director who stirs excitement with his charisma and quality of directions, is considered one of the great conducting talents of Southern Italy. He studied Conducting and Composition with Maestro Nicola Samale, Maestro Franco Ferrara and Maestro Nicola Germinario.  Giovanni is the author of numerous arrangements for large symphony orchestras as well as compositions and transcriptions performed by symphony and wind orchestras throughout Europe.  At the Conservatory Nino Rota of Monopoli, he studied Management and Technical Consultation with Maestro Maurizio Billi.  With distinction he graduated in Instrumentation, Coordination and Direction for wind orchestra with Maestro Fulvio Creux in Pescara. For over fifteen years he's dedicated himself to directing wind orchestras of Puglia, Abruzzo and Campania, directing more than a thousand concerts in Italy and abroad.  At Competition Atessa in 2008, he won the award for Best Director and the ensemble directed by him won first in its category.  In Bergamo, 2010, Giovanni received the Abbiati Prize VIII Edition for the implementation of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, from the music critics of the National Association. He was a component of numerous examination boards in several conservatories of music and contests of national and international levels.  In 2011 he became the Chairman of the Artistic Commission that annually awards the Orpheo Award in Puglia. Since 2013 he has been the resident conductor of the Pugliese  Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he has directed the most important productions and concerts in the most prestigious theaters in Southern Italy, collaborating with artists such as: Stef Burns, Maria Pia Piscitelli, Marco Misciagna, Evgeny Starodubsten, Andrea Braido, Francesco Defronzo, Sklodowsky Bartosz, Anna Genushene, Mai Koshio, Gianni Ciardo, Carlo Monopoli and others. In the current year he was confirmed to the direction of the “Noicattaro Wind Orchestra”, with which he won the 1st Prize of the "Sinfonica" section of the 3rd Band Tour Competition at the Ferrandina Wind Festival 2019.