VALSESIA MUSICA International Competition

former VIOTTI – VALSESIA International Competition

member of AAF (Alink-Argerich Foundation) since 2004

In 1981 Franco Fuselli, Ermanno Tiramani, president of Varallo Sesia Tourist Agency, and Joseph Robbone, founder and artistic director of “G.B. Viotti” international competition in Vercelli, created in Varallo Viotti Valsesia, a new international piano competition, in order to highlight young talented pianists and to promote tourism in Valsesia. After Joseph Robbone’s death, “Valsesia Musica” association was founded to provide the competition with an efficient organizing committee. In 1990 Vincenzo Balzani became artistic director and he boosted the contest changing the repertory and including the final round with orchestra. Later further sections have been added: voice (1993), junior (1997), violin and orchestra (1998) so the competition, whose name changed to Valsesia Musica in 2000, has grown in popularity among music lovers. High-level laureates as the pianists: Giuseppe Andaloro, Olivier Cazal, Ian Fountain, Igor Kamenz, Jura Margulis, Antonio Pompa - Baldi, Sergei Tarasov and Chloe Jiyeong Mun; the singers: Walter Fraccaro and Sun Xiu Wei; the violinists: Antal Szalai, Nikita Borisoglebsky, Fedor Rudin, Francesca Dego, Anna Tifu, Edoardo Zosi and Sayaka Shoji also demonstrate the worldwide fame of Valsesia Musica Competition in the international music context. These great achievements are due to a proficient organizing staff, to a large number of friends, to a few entrepreneurs and above all of to the fundamental support of public bodies (Piedmont region, the provinces of Biella, Novara and Vercelli, Vercelli Chamber of Commerce, Valsesia Mountain Community, many municipalities spread throughout Valsesia) and foundations as: “Compagnia di San Paolo”, “CRT”, ”Cassa di Risparmio di Vercelli”, “BPN per il territorio”. Last but not the least the important role of the juries must be mentioned: Marcello Abbado, Sulamita Aronovsky, Vincenzo Balzani, Carlo Bergonzi, Arturo Bonucci, Renato Bruson, Giovanna Canetti, Roberto Cappello, Luciano Chailly, Fiorenza Cossotto, Marcella Crudeli, Lya De Barberiis, Sergei Dorensky, Maria Golia, Romano Gandolfi, Eugen Indjic, Shuku Iwasaki, Sergej Krylov, Massimo Marin, Bruno Mezzena, Jean Micault, Rita Orlandi Malaspina, Rolando Panerai, Giacinto Prandelli, Luciana Serra, Tiziano Severini, Eliodoro Sollima, Alfredo Speranza, Hubert Stuppner, Giorgio Vidusso, are only a few of the illustrious musicians who have served as members of the panels of Valsesia Musica competition over the years. Vincenzo Balzani

“Music is one of the noblest acts of love human beings can give one another.” Antonio Pistarà