Who We Are

Welcome to the Tetracordo Academy Festival

In the heart of Italy, in the city of Isernia, we have created a space where the legacy of classical music meets the energy of jazz, the spontaneity of folk traditions, and the evolving landscapes of electronic sound. At the core of it all is one driving force: improvisation — not as a genre, but as a living musical language.

Tetracordo Academy was co-founded in 2014 with a clear mission: to guide Western classical music toward a new future, grounded in improvisation and open dialogue with jazz and contemporary creation. Through our Academy and Festival, we offer intensive music education, present cutting-edge performances, host residencies and interdisciplinary workshops — all in a spirit of transformation, not preservation.

Since the beginning, we’ve welcomed extraordinary artists from around the world: jazz masters such as Ari Roland, Zaid Nasser, Luigi and Pasquale Grasso, Joe Farnsworth, Yaala Ballin, Antonio Ciacca, and many more; renowned composers like Stéphane Delplace and Stanislav Makovsky; and classical soloists of international acclaim, including Andrei Korobeinikov, Samuele Telari, Belle Chen, Massimo Spada, and Paolo Bartolucci.

We are also proud to host the Mandolin Prize, a unique award dedicated to the legacy of Giuseppe Pettine — a pioneering Italian-American mandolinist and composer originally from Isernia. His work redefined the mandolin’s voice in classical music. Through this prize, we honor his memory and welcome outstanding artists such as Tiziano Palladino, Antonio Parascandolo, and Annalisa Desiato, keeping alive the spirit of innovation he embodied.

We believe that Western classical music must evolve — not by abandoning its roots, but by reconnecting with its improvisational soul. This is why we continue to commission new works and foster a global community of musicians committed to keeping music spontaneous, vibrant, and essential.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

With passion,
Giordano Carnevale
Artistic Director
Tetracordo Academy Festival