Kit Armstrong
29 September - 3 October 2026
Fondazione Casa Stradivari is delighted to welcome back maestro Kit Armstrong, an internationally renowned pianist, organist, composer and conductor, as part of the “Casa Stradivari Artists in Residence” project.
The “Casa Stradivari Artists in Residence” project by Fondazione Casa Stradivari is made possible with the support of Fondazione Cariplo.
Fondazione Cariplo supports projects of social value in the fields of arts and culture, the environment, social services and scientific research in Lombardy and the provinces of Novara and Verbano Cusio Ossola. Since 1991, it has supported 40,040 non-profit projects, donating more than €4.25 billion.
Further information is available on the Fondazione Cariplo website.
with the support of
CHAMBER MUSIC MASTERCLASS
29 September - 2 October 2026
Fondazione Casa Stradivari
Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, 55-57 - Cremona
Free admission, subject to availability.
Pianist, composer, conductor and organist, Kit Armstrong comes to Casa Stradivari for a special chamber music masterclass.
Four days of workshops and musical exchange dedicated to young musicians and chamber ensembles, exploring repertoire, active listening and musical dialogue through direct work with an artist of extraordinary versatility.
Bruno Monsaingeon & Kit Armstrong
Music Beyond the Instrument
3 ottobre 2026, ore 11:30
CremonaFiere - Sala Amati
Piazza Zelioli Lanzini, 1 - Cremona
Ingresso libero e gratuito fino ad esaurimento posti disponibili.
Composition, Transcription and the Art of Reinvention
How does an instrument shape the music conceived for it? And what happens when music is performed on an instrument different from the one for which it was originally written?
In this public conversation, Bruno Monsaingeon and Kit Armstrong explore the constantly evolving relationship between musical ideas and the instruments that give them sound. From Renaissance polyphony, where the number and interaction of voices could determine the very architecture of a composition, to later instrumental music, in which range, technique and physical possibilities directly influence musical form and imagination, instruments have always played an active role in shaping the music written for them.
Yet much of the music we perform today is heard on instruments—and with techniques—very different from those known to its composers. Transcription makes this transformation explicit: moving music from one instrument to another becomes an act of translation, but also, at times, of creative reinvention.
Drawing on their own experience as performers, composers, arrangers and passionate advocates of transcription, Monsaingeon and Armstrong will discuss what can—and should—be preserved when music crosses from one instrument to another, what inevitably changes, and what new possibilities can emerge.
Musical examples and some of their own transcriptions will accompany the conversation.
More information: https://cremonamusica.com/en/events/bruno-monsaingeon-kit-armstrong-music-beyond-the-instrument/
Kit Armstron in Concert
The Voice of the Sant’Agata Organ
3 October 2026, 7 p.m.
Church of Sant'Agata
Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi, 121 - Cremona
Further information will be announced soon.
Free admission, subject to availability.
Kit Armstrong
Ever since Kit Armstrong entered the global music stage twenty years ago, his activities have exerted an enduring fascination upon music lovers. He performs recitals in major series, appears with the world’s finest orchestras, and has developed close artistic partnerships with leading instrumentalists and vocalists. He has held artist-in-residence appointments incorporating a wide spectrum of musical formats, combining his roles as composer, pianist, conductor, and organist. His project Expedition Mozart, traversing Mozart’s music in various genres with an international group of distinguished chamber musicians and soloists, is a main feature at prestigious festivals and venues.
Armstrong came to classical music through composition at the age of five. He has since created a broad oeuvre of vocal, instrumental, chamber, and symphonic works, many of which have been commissioned by notable European cultural institutions. His compositions are published by Edition Peters.
Armstrong’s piano recordings include the albums Bach, Ligeti, Armstrong (2013) and Liszt: Symphonic Scenes (2016) on Sony Classical, various live recitals on DVD, such as Bach’s Goldberg Variations and its Predecessors at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam (Unitel, 2017), Wagner - Liszt - Mozart at the Bayreuth Margravial Opera House (C-Major, 2019), and 1520-2020: A Musical Odyssey (Damis Films, 2023), a double CD dedicated to a panorama of works by William Byrd and John Bull: The Visionaries of Piano Music (2021) on Deutsche Grammophon, and Mozart’s violin sonatas with Renaud Capuçon (2023).
Born in 1992 in California, USA, Armstrong pursued undergraduate studies in physics at California State University, chemistry and mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania and mathematics at Imperial College London. Alfred Brendel has guided Armstrong as a musical mentor since 2005. In 2008, he earned a bachelor’s degree in music at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and in 2012 a master’s degree in pure mathematics at the University of Paris VI.
In 2012, Kit Armstrong purchased the Church of Sainte-Thérèse in Hirson, France, and transformed it into a hall for concerts and exhibitions, and outreach. This cultural centre has become home to interdisciplinary projects, including the yearly Semaine de la Voix, reaching a regional as well as cosmopolitan public.
How to apply
Participation is open to 3 chamber music ensembles – duos, trios, quartets or quintets – who will work with maestro Kit Armstrong at the piano during the masterclass.
Ensembles without a pianist may also apply. In this case, maestro Kit Armstrong will work with the musicians, particularly string ensembles, even without the piano, providing musical and interpretative guidance.
Each selected ensemble will have 2 hours of tuition with maestro Kit Armstrong.
To apply, candidates must complete the online application form and submit:
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An artistic CV, including their main musical, concert and educational experiences;
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A video of a musical performance, with a maximum total duration of 15 minutes.
Video specifications
The video must:
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be recent and allow for as complete an assessment as possible of the candidates technical, musical and interpretative qualities;
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be recorded in a single take, without cuts, editing or overdubbing;
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show the candidates clearly throughout the performance;
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contain original, unedited audio.
The video may contain one or more pieces, chosen by the candidates, for a total duration of no more than 15 minutes.
Deadline
Applications must be submitted no later than 25 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (CEST).
Sites and times
The masterclass will take place at the premises of Fondazione Casa Stradivari, at Corso Giuseppe Garibaldi 55-57, in Cremona.
Costs
Fondazione Casa Stradivari covers the full cost of tuition for the participating ensembles.
Participants are responsible for their own travel, meals, accommodation and any other personal expenses related to their participation in the masterclass.
Communications
Candidates will be informed directly by the Foundation of the outcome of the selection process.
For further information and/or clarification, please contact the Foundation at info@casastradivari.org.
