Carlo Amedeo Pasotto, founder and first director of the Festival. Born in Verona in 1943, in 1949 he moved to Milan. Degree in Italian literature from the Università Cattolica of Milan. Married with 6 children. From 1971 - 1977 he taught Italian language and culture at the Opera don Calabria in Milan then, from1977-1982 was one of the organizers and promoters of the Permanent Education of Adults program (C.E.P.) for the Municipality of Milan. In 1982 he moved with his family to Urbino. In 1986 he founded the Urbania branch of the Dante Alighieri Society, of which he is still President, and that same year started the first courses in Italian language and culture for foreigners. In 1988 he founded the Centro Studi Italiani of which he is director. In 1989 he was one of the promoters and founders of A.S.I.L.S. (Association of Schools of Italian as a foreign language). He has written several books and collaborated with the publishing of "CI SIAMO", text book of Italian for foreigners (CIS-Heinemann, Melbourne, Australia,1997). He writes regularly in "Culturiana" (quarterly journal of linguistics, glottodidactics and cultural information for the teaching of Italian as a second language) and also collaborates with the "Pagine della Dante", the official journal of the Dante Alighieri Society. He has held numerous conferences abroad, in Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Australia, U.S.A., Norway, some of which in well known universities: Vienna (Romance language dept.), Zurich, Neuchatel, Friburg(CH), Murcia, Seville, Antwerp, Nimegen, Namur, Aarhus, Chambery, Melbourne, Santa Cruz (U.S.A.). He has organized and held refresher courses for teachers of Italian abroad for the University of Uppsala, for the Land Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany), and for branches of the Dante Alighieri Society of Argentina, Austria and Australia. After 14 years experience in the field of courses in Italian language and musical culture for foreigners, in May 2000 he founded the CENTRO STUDI ITALIANI OPERA FESTIVAL for young singers and instrumentalists, of which he is director. Since March 2001, honorary member of the Pacific Musical Society, San Francisco, USA.

Giovanni Pasotto. Born in Milan in June 1980, at the age of 2 he moved with his family to Urbino. He attended the primary school in Urbania and the middle school in Urbino, specializing in piano. He then continued his studies at the Music Conservatory in Pesaro (piano) and the “Liceo scientifico L. Laurana” in Urbino, graduating in 1999. Between 2000 to 2004 he attended the University of Millikin, Illinois, U.S.A. graduating in May 2004 in marketing (major) and music (minor). Since 1998 he has collaborated with the organization of summer courses for international opera singers at the Centro Studi Italiani. In 2000 he played a key role in planning the Centro Studi Italiani Opera Festival, coordinating with the artistic directors of the various programs. In September 2004 he became the main coordinator of the Festival.