Skill&Music is a media company operating as a communication agency and press office. It is formed by a group of professionals with strong organizational and strategic skills, a long and in-depth experience in music, opera, and communication, and an original approach to old and new media.
AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
By choosing Skill&Music for your communication you are relying on experts who work in different sectors and geographical areas, and who put their background and networks to the service of widespread coverage and a multifaceted vision.
FOR ARTISTS AND INSTITUTIONS
Skill&Music was founded in 2015. It combines the experience gathered over more than ten years by frontline professionals in the fields of communication, image, and public relations for music and culture. Ideas that are free and quick, but overall consistent and practical, aimed at building networks and visibility for institutions, festivals and artists.
TEAM
PAOLO CAIROLI
Director and founding partner
Born in 1975, a professional journalist, Paolo completed his musical and musicologist studies at the Conservatorio di Torino, with a piano diploma; and at the Università degli Studi di Torino, with Philosophy and DAMS (Disciplines of the Arts, Music, and Entertainment) degrees. He has also studied at the École Normale de Musique in Paris and at the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna. As a pianist he has performed and taught in several Italian cities. He has published a monograph on contemporary composer Giorgio Ferrari, as well as several musicology essays and theatre program notes. Over the past twenty years he has been dealing with communication and external relations in the culture and music fields. He has been collaborating with various institutions and with several artists, promoting their business in Italy and abroad. In 2005 he started his collaboration with Rai – Radiotelevisione Italiana, where he manages the communication for Rai Cultura’s musical schedule, which includes the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai and Rai5. He has presented the live concerts of Radio3 and has dealt with the international promotion of the contemporary music catalogue of Rai Trade Musical Editions. An expert of television and new media, Paolo has co-authored Rai5’s TV program “Petruška”. In 2015 he created Skill&Music – a media organization focusing on the communication of cultural and musical events – of which he is the Managing Director. He presently manages the communication for the Opera di Roma and its cultural magazine “Calibano”, published by effequ, and he is also communication manager for the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro. A passionate traveler, Paolo has visited the main countries of Europe, Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, North and South America, and Africa, often attending performances in their theatres and concert halls. He lives between Turin, Rome, and Los Angeles.
IRENE SALA
FIRMINA ADORNO
Project manager
Born in 1992, professional journalist, she began her academic musical education at the age of 12 in Milan, where at 18 she graduated in piano. She also graduated in Business Economics and Management at the “Luigi Bocconi” University of Milan and obtained a further two-year degree in piano at the “Claudio Abbado” Civic School of Music in Milan with a thesis on musical communication. In the piano field she specializes in performances that embrace theater and contemporary music. She has permformed and taught for national and international institutions. Her professional activity in the field of musical communication began in 2016 with the management of social media for music festivals, such as Classiche Forme directed by Beatrice Rana. She collaborates with RAI for the production of documentaries in the field of classical music and is also responsible for the press office of the orchestra conductor Michele Mariotti. Since 2019 she has collaborated with Skill&Music, managing the press office and communication of projects such as the SZ Sugar publishing house of the Sugarmusic group, the hundredth edition of the Arena di Verona Opera Festival, the Luciano Pavarotti’s Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the MITO SettembreMusica Festival, the Wexford Opera Festival, the Monteverdi Festival, and artists such as the conductor Michele Spotti, the countertenor Raffaele Pe and the pianist Filippo Gorini. She also took care of the press office for cinema projects at the Rome Film Festival and is a teacher of the course in musical communication organized by the De Sono Association.
ROSSANA ADORNO
Consultant
Born in 1997, Rossana studied philosophy specializing in political philosophy and ethics at the University of Milan and the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University. She attended the classical guitar course at the Civica Claudio Abbado in Milan.
Rossana initially worked in the fashion field, a profession that led her to gain numerous experiences abroad, particularly in Asia and Europe.
She collaborates in the development of social promotion projects linked to sustainability and inclusiveness policies, improving and learning communication strategies in young and stimulating environments. Since 2020 she is part of the Skill&Music team.
ALICE CASTELNUOVO
Consultant
Born in 1995, she graduated in Humanities and Visual arts at the University of Bologna, with a thesis in arts law. She further opened up to the subject by attending a project management course (Corso per Responsabile di Progetti Culturali) at the Fitzcarraldo Foundation in Turin. Parallel to her university courses, she graduated in Viola at the “A. Steffani” conservatory in Castelfranco Veneto, and she continued specializing in the instrument and repertoire at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole and at the Accademia Internazionale di Imola. As a violist she has been playing in several orchestras since 2018, among which the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala’s Orchestra, the Italian Youth Orchestra and the Teatro Olimpico’s Orchestra. Since November 2023 she has been part of the Skill&Music team.
CARLA MONNI
Web editor and logistics
Born in 1986, Carla is a journalist with a degree in Musicology and Musical Heritage from the University of Bologna and a Jazz singing degree from the “G. B. Martini” Conservatory in Bologna. Alongside her theoretical studies – through specific seminars and classes in the areas of musicology and journalism (Stefano Zenni, Luca Bragalini, Luigi Onori), authoring, graphic design and communication (24ORE Business School, Accademia Cappiello, Grafigata Academy) – she has always practiced music. After studying piano, as well as organ for five years at the “G. P. da Palestrina” Conservatory in Cagliari, she started focusing on singing, exploring jazz and gospel music, soul funk and even Mediterranean music, while perfecting her vocal technique and improvisation skills. She has worked on numerous projects and attended masterclasses and workshops held by internationally renowned teachers (John Taylor, Diana Torto, Marco Tamburini, Paolo Fresu, Maria Pia De Vito, Dave Douglas, Elisa Turlà, to name a few). She has worked for musical institutions and associations, like the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Verdiani, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Bologna’s Conservatory, the Orchestra Maderna, the Archivio del Canto, Musicaper, and Senzaspine. She has collaborated with LIM Publishing House, with Albedo Cinema Production, with the record company Workin’ Label, with the agencies Columbia Artists Music – CAMI Music and Madcrumbs, with festivals like Porretta Soul Festivals and MITO SettembreMusica, and with cultural magazines («L’Ape Musicale», «Exursus.org») and specialist journals («Musica Docta»). Presently, she is head of the Press Office for the Teatro Celebrazioni in Bologna and is Web Editor for Conductor Michele Mariotti’s webpage. She has been working with Skill&Music since 2015, where she is head of logistics, and where she manages the news agency’s website as well as those of its artists.
LORENA JIMÉNEZ
Consultant
Born in 1984, Lorena Jiménez is a musicologist, journalist and PR Manager. She has a B.A. degree in Musicology (Graduate Award for the best academic record) from the University of Oviedo and a Master of Arts in Culture Management from the University of Dresden. She has studied lingua e cultura italiana at the Università per Stranieri di Perugia, as well as the German language and culture at the Universität Bayreuth and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. She holds a B.A. degree in Violin from the Spanish Conservatory and has also studied baroque violin at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff. With over 10 years experience working in classical music, she has been Press Officer for the WIMUST project (UNESCO) and the Spanish tour of the Staatskapelle Dresden, as well as Assistant Artist Manager in leading agencies in London and Munich, including HarrisonParrott, Weigold & Böhm and Kirchnermusikmanagement. In addition to this, she has worked as a translator at the European Parliament in Luxembourg. Apart from her role as a Public Relations & Communications Manager for classical music institutions and individual artists, Lorena Jiménez also works as a music journalist for national and international magazines and as a regular contributor to the Cadena SER radio station. She has published over 200 articles as well as numerous interviews with some of the leading classical artists. Since 2008, she is an accredited music critic at some of the most relevant international music festivals, including the Salzburg Festival, the Bayreuth Festival and the Lucerne Festival, among many others. Lorena Jiménez is jury member for the Classical:Next Innovation Award.
