Keynote speakers and guest artists
Explore the keynote sessions: NOIS//E is not only a space for artists and authors presenting their work. The festival also offers opportunities to engage with invited keynote speakers, whose talks open perspectives on sound, media, technology and contemporary artistic practices. Whether you are an artist, student, researcher, performer, technician, curator or simply interested in these fields, the keynote sessions provide a space for critical reflection, exchange and new ideas.
Invited Speaker
Leonardo Cicala
Prof. Conservatory of Pavia and Novara
Electroacoustic composer, acousmatic interpreter and live performer. He studied Band Instrumentation at the “Tito Schipa” Conservatory of Music in Lecce, graduated with honours in Electronic Music from the same institution, and also holds a degree in Biology from the University of Bari. He specialised in electroacoustic composition in Paris with Denis Dufour and attended courses in acousmatic interpretation with Jonathan Prager. He has performed more than one hundred works from the classical and contemporary electroacoustic repertoire on the acousmonium. In 2015, he published the Manuale di interpretazione acusmatica with Edizione Musicale Salatino, together with a related series of video tutorials. His acousmatic electroacoustic works, pieces for instrument and electronics, and soundtracks for short films have been released by Italian and international labels. He founded Acusma Teatro del Suono in Bari, an association that supports experimental sound arts through concerts, teaching, educational activities and music production. He won first prize in the Bangor Dylan Thomas Prize for electroacoustic composition in the United Kingdom and has been a finalist in several international composition competitions. His works have been performed at festivals in Italy, France, Belgium, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Argentina, Chile, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and the United States.
Invited Speaker
Fabio De Sanctis De Benedictis
Prof. Conservatory of Livorno
Fabio De Sanctis De Benedictis teaches Theory of Harmony and Analysis at the Conservatory of Livorno. From 2020 to 2026, he also taught Composition courses, with which he continues to collaborate. He holds diplomas in Violin, Choral Music and Choral Conducting, and Composition, and pursued advanced studies with Giacomo Manzoni. Winner of national and international composition competitions and calls, his works have been published by fonè, SAM, Ars Publica, Setola di maiale, Musica Nova, Cero Records and Sillabe. His pieces have been performed in Europe, the United States and South America, with interpreters including Giuseppe Giuliano, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Jonathan Faralli, Daniel Kientzy, Carlo Failli and many others. He has published essays in specialised journals in Italy and abroad, including Sonus, Civiltà Musicale, Musica Domani, Analitica, CIM, Gli Spazi della Musica, RATM and Nuove Musiche. One of his contributions appears in OM Composer’s Book 3, published by IRCAM/Delatour. He has been a speaker at conferences and seminars organised by or associated with GATM, Domus Galileiana, EuroMAC, Colloqui di Informatica Musicale, IRCAM Forum Workshop, HarMA, Música Analítica, ICSC and Fondazione Levi. He has taught Erasmus courses in Belgium, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Germany, as well as masterclasses and courses in algorithmic composition at several Italian conservatories. He has also taught Elements of Harmony and Counterpoint at the University of Pisa. He is the author of FDSDB_XXth_CT, an algorithmic composition library for OpenMusic focused on twentieth-century compositional techniques, and is also among the collaborators involved in the development of the algorithmic composition software Opusmodus. In addition to composition, his artistic research focuses on the algorithmic formalisation of compositional techniques derived from musical analysis, as well as on the study of computer-assisted composition, improvisation and orchestration.
Invited Speaker
Niki Lada
Prof. Conservatory of Salerno
Niki Lada is a Greek soprano and vocal performer recognized for her compelling stage presence and dedicated commitment to 20th-century and contemporary music. Her artistic practice combines rigorous vocal training with ongoing exploration into extended vocal techniques, improvisation, and multidisciplinary performance.
After initial studies in Greece spanning theatre, classical singing, and English literature, she relocated to Italy for advanced specialization. She earned her degree in Classical Singing at the Conservatory of Perugia, specialized in 20th- and 21st-century music at the Conservatory of Ravenna, and further refined her approach to contemporary repertoire at the Divertimento Ensemble Academy in Milan. In 2026, she was awarded the 11th Michiko Hirayama Scholarship by the Isabella Scelsi Foundation, a distinction dedicated to research and excellence in contemporary vocal practice.
A passionate champion of new music, she has premiered and performed numerous works written specifically for her voice, collaborating with composers such as Nicolas Tzortzis, Nikos Galenianos, Vito Palumbo, Franck Bedrossian, Rosalba Quindici, and Andreas Tsiartas. As a soloist, she regularly performs across major institutions and festivals—including the Greek National Opera, Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Rondò in Monferrato, CYFEST 17, the Tempo Reale Festival, Il Suono Contemporary Music Week, and the Delian Academy of Music—alongside specialized ensembles such as Divertimento Ensemble, Suono Giallo, Opificio Sonoro, Ergon Ensemble, and Icarus VS Muzak.
Alongside her performing career, she is actively involved in educational and creative initiatives: she co-founded the multidisciplinary ensemble [tis ixu's], co-developed the Woven Voices project focused on Morton Feldman’s vocal techniques together with composer Zesses Segglias, and has coached young composers at various international composition academies. She currently combines her artistic practice with teaching positions at Italian music conservatories and is based in Perugia, Italy.
Guest artist
Feliciano Chiriaco
Prof. Conservatory of Parma
Feliciano Chiriaco (Foggia, 1994) is an electroacoustic composer, sound engineer, and multimedia artist. He studied Electroacoustic Composition at the Conservatorio "U. Giordano" in Foggia under N. Monopoli, R. Zanata, and D. De Simone, and teaches Electroacoustic and Multimedia Composition at the Conservatorio "A. Boito" in Parma. His practice and research centre on the relationship between electroacoustic sound and the moving image, both in real time and on fixed support. Working across fixed-media acousmatic composition, live electronics, live visuals, sound installation, and audiovisual art, he treats sound and image as a single expressive gesture, shaped by a shared logic of transformation and fragility. His output moves fluidly between electroacoustic experimentation and electronic music, ranging from purely electronic records to releases for instrument and electronics. His work has been presented at international festivals and events. He is founder and artistic director of MID SIDE Aps and directed the REF – Resilience Festival (Foggia) across four editions.
Guest artist
Prof. Gema FB Martìn
University of Madrid
psychologist, social scientist and media artist
Gema is a clinical psychologist, social scientist and media artist currently based in Madrid, where she works as a professor and researcher.
Her practice focuses on how technology shapes the way we perceive reality and on the consequences of this interaction between science and fiction. More in detail, she studies and designs models of artificial emotions, on the Human-Computer-Interaction field.
Gema did her Phd thesis in the study of collective creativity through musical virtual environments, specifically in the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse, orchestra to which she belongs. Her work blends art, science, and tech, with a focus on sound projects.
Guest artist
Clémence Martel
soprano, performer, and video artist
Clémence Martel is a soprano, performer, and video artist. She studied flute and classical singing in Paris, Rotterdam, and Lausanne, and specialised in contemporary music at the Neue Musik Studio of the HMDK in Stuttgart. Her work combines extended vocal technique, live performance, and digital video. She received the Contemporary Music Award of the City of Freiburg. She has performed at the Haus der Geschichte in Stuttgart, the Teatro del Suono Festival in Trieste, the NextGeneration Festival at ZKM Karlsruhe, and the Mixtur Festival in Barcelona, and has held a residency at LOD Muziekcentrum in Ghent. She took part in the mentorship programme of Futurs Composés, the French national network for contemporary music creation, and has been a member of the Ulysses platform (IRCAM) since 2025.
Alessandro Ratoci
Prof. Conservatory of Piacenza
Alessandro Ratoci is ia composer and live electronics performer. He studied piano, composition, and electronic music at the Bologna Conservatory, then composition and live electronics at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva with Michael Jarrell, Luis Naon, and Eric Daubresse. In 2014 he took the IRCAM composition course in Paris with Hector Parra and Mikhail Malt. His music has been played by soloists including Antonio Politano, Enzo Filippetti, and Stefano Malferrari, and by ensembles such as the ICTUS Trio, Alarm Will Sound, and the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. It has been programmed at the Ravenna Festival, ManiFeste (Paris), Milano Musica, and Festival Nuova Consonanza. Prizes include the Franco Evangelisti Prize (2022) and the Luigi Nono Prize (2019). Recordings appear on Miraloop and EMA Vinci; scores are published by SZ SUGAR. Alongside concert work, he has composed for theatre, in productions directed by Omar Porras and toured internationally, including the World Theatre Festival in Shizuoka. From 2014 to 2022 he taught at the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne. He currently teaches Electroacoustic Composition and History of Electronic Music at the Piacenza Conservatory, and is a member of the CantiereZero collective in Trieste.
Guest artist
Jeremy Turner
Prof. University of Chester
Dr. Jeremy Turner is a sculptor and Fine Art practitioner who has exhibited widely in the UK and Europe. He is a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors and has sculptural works held in private collections. His research is predominantly practice based and sculptural in output, with activated sculpture, video and drawing as related and emerging fields of activity. Interests that inform this practice include history and anecdote, memory, the phenomenology of materials and form and the construction of narrative and meaning.
Dr. Jeremy Turner is Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Chester, UK, and has previously held Fine Art lecturing roles at the University of Leeds, Bretton Hall University College, University of Lincoln, Arts Institute Bournemouth and Cheltenham & Gloucester College of HE.
Invited Speaker
Cesare Saldicco
Prof. Conservatory of Milan
Cesare Saldicco is a composer, multimedia artist and filmmaker based in Milan.
Research interests include the use of emergent dynamical and fractal systems in generative works and nonstandard synthesis, glitch/noise aesthetics and new forms of interaction and self-organized presentation.
He has had commissions, awards and grants from the most significant international institutions such as Accademia Nazionale of Santa Cecilia in Rome, Acanthes, Centro Tempo Reale, CECh – Comunidad Electroacùstica de Chile, Bourges International Festival of Electroacoustic Music and Sonic Art, CEMAT Federation, Musica Viva Portugal, EXPO2015, EmuFest, MUSLab, Mixtur Festival, AVAF – Athens Video Art Festival, Destellos prize and La Biennale di Venezia.
His audiovisual works “I Camminatori”, “Shadow Puppet Sketch” and “Autumn of the Nations” won and have been officially selected in many important film festivals such as Phoenix Film Festival in Melbourne, Los Angeles Film Festival and Toronto Film Week.
His music is edited and published by ArsPublica, Philology, Da Vinci Publishing, Sconfinarte, RMN Classical and Stradivarius and has been performed in over 30 countries worldwide.
He is full professor of electroacoustic music composition at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” of Milan and curator of the MA/IN Festival.
Maggie Jackson
Maggie Jackson is Emeritus professor at the University of Chester. Her primary research interest is in the representation of light in northern landscapes. She often uses art historical and literary references in her work and is drawn to interdisciplinary approaches.
