CONCORSO PIANISTICO

INTERNAZIONALE ETTORE POZZOLI Seregno, Italy

WFIMC: Please tell us the background, history and legacy of your competition.

Filomena Solito: Gina Gambini, in 1957, at the death of her husband Ettore Pozzoli, decided to donate to Seregno, her husband’s hometown, the copyright of the study methods "Pozzoli" used worldwide and published exclusively by Casa Ricordi.

The aim is to honour the memory of the important teacher and musician and, at the same time, to give opportunities for professional growth to young talents from all over the world. Giulio Confalonieri, music critic and student of Pozzoli created the biennial international competition that took place two years after the death of the great Maestro, and saw Maurizio Pollini, only seventeen, win the first edition in 1959.

The bequest guarantees authoritativeness and professionalism of the competition thanks to the presence of a committee composed also by the Verdi Conservatory of Milan with Massimiliano Baggio, director and Cristina Frosini former director and Marco Mazzolini Casa Ricordi general manager.

The chairman of the committee is the Mayor of Seregno, currently Alberto Rossi, who guarantees the realization of the competition according to the indications of Gina Gambini’s will, with an organization inside the municipal structure, another specificity of this contest lived by the whole city.

The Pozzoli Competition obtains at every edition the high patronage and the medal of the President of the Italian Republic.

In 2012 a competition was designed for small talents, a satellite contest of the bigger one, that in 2023 will see its 5th edition.

How has your competition been influenced by Covid-19? What are your plans, your vision for the future?

In 2021 we organized in presence the 32nd edition of the Pozzoli Competition introducing a pre-selection. During the contest, a "bubble" was created in which the competitors and the jury lived. A specific health protocol has been studied in collaboration with an infectious disease specialist for the protection of competitors, the jury, the organization and the public. Free checks and swabs tests were granted to everyone. None of them contracted the virus.

We have set up two giant screens for outdoor viewing of the entire competition, live streaming and public at the theatre according to the rules in force at the time of the competition.

For the future it is confirmed the preselection of competitors and hospitality, free for 30 pianists and the will to organize the competition in the presence of audience at every round of the contest.

Simultaneously, streaming and a giant screen for outdoor viewing.

Where do you see the greatest possibilities, the greatest opportunities for your future winners? Or, to be more direct: why should anyone participate in your competition?

It is an opportunity to get to know Italy and its welcoming, creative and joyful style. Seregno is close to Milan, the city of museums, fashion and design, and unique natural beauty such as Lake Como. In addition to a prize money (€ 38.000,00) concerts are offered by public and private institutions that will allow the winners to return to Italy to perform.

Which countries/regions are most important among your competitors?

From 1959 (first edition) to 2021 (last edition) we received over 1372 candidates from 65 countries including Armenia, North Macedonia, Japan, Western Europe, Scandinavia, Turkey and Greece, Canada, Israel, and the United States. Among the youngest winners of the competition we include Maurizio Pollini (Italian) 17 years old in 1959 and Anastasia Rizikov (Canadian) 17 years old in 2015.

Do you have any wishes or suggestions for joining WFIMC?

We expect to increase the numbers of competitors in our competition, and to be able to create opportunities to bring out young musical talents and initiate them to a long and important professional career. In parallel, we would like to bring a wider audience closer to music, for the well-being of the individual and an instrument for a happy cohesion and an opportunity for encounter in society. For years, the Pozzoli Competition wanted to become part of this authoritative and historic Federation in order to promote the Ettore Pozzoli International Piano Competition at its best and together with important partners.