PATRIZIA MONTANARO, 1956, was born in Bologna, Italy. Still a Bologna resident, Montanaro studied piano under Gino Brandi and Miriam Omodeo Donadoni at the Bologna Conservatory of Music, where she graduated in 1978. After her graduation Montanaro attended piano masterclasses both in Italy (with Annibale Rebaudengo) and abroad, performing at several concerts both as a soloist and with chamber ensembles.

Together with her career as a performer, Montanaro attended composition classes at the Bologna Conservatory of Music under Cesare Augusto Grandi and Ivan Vandor, graduating in 1992 at the Pesaro Conservatory of Music, Bruno Bettinelli her mentor. From 1989 to 1993, Montanaro attended composition classes taught by Giacomo Manzoni at Accademia di Fiesole.

After a period of intense piano practice and performances, for the last thirty years Montanaro has been constantly working as a composer being awarded prizes and recognition at several international composition contests such as:

• ATEM “Briccialdi”, Terni, 1990 and “Camillo Togni”, Brescia, 1990, with the composition Riflessi… di risonanze e d’echi, for piano and clarinet.
• ICONS, Torino, 1997, with vibranti figure sospese, for ensemble;
• GEDOK, Mannheim, 1998, with …su echi della memoria, for voices and ensemble;
• ICOMS, Torino, 2003, with in-canto, for harp and flute;
• “Ermo Colle” Poetry & Music Contest, Tizzano Val Parma, Third Edition, 2004. Board’s Choice Award for Penelope – Tragicommedia lirica in un atto, text from the melologue of the same title by the Florentine poet Rosaria Lo Russo.

Works by Montanaro have been performed and broadcasted in Italy, Europe and the US. They have also been included in theatrical seasons and events such as those of Teatro Argentina, Roma, 2001; Teatro del Giglio, Lucca, 2002; Teatro Sala 1, Piazza di Porta S. Giovanni, Roma, 2004.

Mostly with commissioned original works, Montanaro participated in festivals and concert seasons promoted by both Italian and foreign organizations as follows:

• I Sabati Musicali dell’Università – D.A.M.S. – Bologna, 1989;
• Festa della Musica – Accademia di Musica di Fiesole – Firenze, 1990;
• Concerti in Biblioteca – Conservatory “G. B. Martini” – Bologna, 1990;
• Festival Valentiniano – 6th Edition, Terni, 1991;
• 3rd “Donne Compositrici” National Convention, Milan, 1992;
• “Nuova Musica Italiana”, 9th and 10th editions – Sala A RAI, Rome, 1992, 1993;
• “Itinerari ‘94” Festival, Rome, 1994;
• “Dionysos Project”, Trieste Contemporanea, Trieste, 1996;
• Accademia di Musica di Fiesole – Auditorium – Firenze, 1996;
• Northridge – College of Arts, Department of Music, California State University, 1997;
• Winter’s Concerts – 2th Edition – Celletta Zampeschi – S’Antarcangelo – Rimini, 1997;
• “Musica e Suggestioni Letterarie” Festival, Rovigo, 1999;
• Swiss Congress Center – Frauenmusik Forum Schweiz, Milan, 2000;
• “Donne nelle arti” First National Convention, Ancona, 2001;
• “ControCanto”, Donne in Musica, Rome 2001, 2002;
• “Notturni Leopardiani”, Recanati, 2002;
• “Musica Nuova” Festival, 11th Edition, 2002, and 12th Edition, Senigallia, 2003;
• “La Musica Nuova”, 20th Concert Season, Padova 2003;
• “Omaggio a Giacomo Leopardi”, Chamber Music International Festival, Grottammare, 2003;
• SIMC, Sectiunea Nationalia Romana. Uniunea Compozitorilor si Muzicologilor din Romania, 2005;
• Associazione Romana Intermusica, 18th Concert Season, Rome, 2005;
• “Clara Schumann” Music Academy, Palermo, 2005;
• Conservatory “Luigi Cherubini” – Sala del Buonumore – Firenze, 2007;
• “5 Giornate Festival”, 5th Edition, Spazio Tadini, Milan, 2009;
• Titano Theatre, Republic of San Marino, 2009;
• “La Cetra di Giovanni – Pascoli e la musica – Nel centenario della scomparsa”, Bologna Conservatory, 2012;
• “Suoni e simboli – L’arte di Debussy fra Otto e Novecento – Nel 150° della nascita”, Bologna Conservatory, 2012;
• “Conoscere la Musica” Concert Society, Bologna. Seasons 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2014, 2016, 2017;
• The Newport Music Festival, USA, 2014;
• Festival Oboe 2014 – 14ème édition. Eglise St. Séverin, Paris, 2014;
• Festival Oboe 2015 – 15ème édition. Consulat Général d’Italie, Paris, 2015;
• “In-Audita Musica” – Concert Season , Novara Conservatory, 2015;
• “La Fortuna dei Cent’anni” – Dante Alighieri’s 750th Anniversary Convention, closing Concert, Bologna Conservatory, 2015;
• “Festival de musique italienne”- Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Paris, 2016;
• Concert and presentation of Créations, 10 opere nuove per oboe, a musical cd, Continuo Records publishing house, Discoteca di Stato, Rome, 2016;
• “Traces D’Aujourd’Hui”, Chapelle de la Pitié Salpétrière, Paris, 2018;
• Conservatori Liceu, Centre Superior, Auditorium – Barcelona, 7-6-2019.
• Autumn’s Concerts – “Debussy e oltre” – Bologna Conservatory, 2019
• Festival Oboe 2020 – 20 ème édition – Eglise Ecossaise, Paris, 2020

Montanaro has been receiving invitations to give contemporary music lectures for both public audiences and Conservatories and Schools of Music. A Conservatory of Music teacher since 1980, she has been teaching Piano at the Bologna Conservatory of Music since 2008.

Works by Montanaro are published by Rugginenti, Milan, and Edipan, Rome.

Together with “Suonodonne” association, Patrizia Montanaro collaborated with her work Murex, for guitar (1993), in the making of the Tra Nord e Sud – Le musiche delle donne nel Duemila musicalcd (MAP, Milan, 2000).

In 2015 Il principe degli archi, a musical cd featuring Grazia Raimondi on violin and Aldo Orvieto on piano was released by Wide Classique. The score includes Montanaro’s Cinque Notturni for violin and piano (2013), a work that was specially commissioned for this recording.

In 2016 Continuo Records (Rome) released Créations, a double musical cd featuring Filippo Mazzoli on flute and Marika Lombardi on oboe. The score includes Montanaro’s Aulodie nell’Aura for flute and oboe (2014).

In 2017 a musical cd featuring soprano Catharina Kroeger and pianist Monica Lonero was released by Brilliant Classique. Together with the complete lieder by Alma Mahler, this cd includes Montanaro’s Canto di Penelope for soprano and piano (2003).

Patrizia Montanaro is listed in Guida alle Compositrici dal Rinascimento ai giorni nostri by Adriano Bassi (Odoya, 2016) with an interview, a detailed resume and a complete catalogue of her works.

Patrizia Montanaro is listed in:

La composizione musicale by Bruno Bettinelli (Rugginenti, 1996);

Bollettino Dantesco by Piero Mioli (Giorgio Pozzi, 2017);

L’Opera Italiana del Novecento by Piero Mioli (Manzoni, 2019)