Main menu:
History
The “Città di Brescia” International Violin Competition, organized since 1979 by the “Romano Romanini Foundation”, in order to honour the memory of the violinist Romano Romanini (1864-1934), the late director of the “Venturi Musical Institute of Brescia which is now the State Music Conservatory, is celebrating this year its tenth edition.
The Competition has always been characterized by the willingness to select only big talents and to help their introduction to the world of musical concert by getting together violinists from all over the world.
Due to extreme selectivity of the Competition, there have been, during the last nine editions, only six winners who have undertaken, thereafter, high level musical careers.
The violinists who have obtained the coveted acknowledgement are Dora Swartzberg, USA, winner of the first edition in 1979, Luca Fanfoni, Italy (1988), Silvia Simionescu, Rumania, (1990) Gabriele Pieranunzi, Italia (1993), Anton Sokorow, Russia, (1999) and Alexis Nagovitsyn, Russia, (2001) who was the winner of the last edition which took place in the year 2001 and who died tragically a few days after his performance in Brescia.
The competition has contributed, furthermore, to highlight many other violinists who have chosen Brescia as the show-case for their debut. The following are among the most eminent who took part in the Competition and they are: Florian Croitoru, Franceso Manara, Eugen Sarbu, Andrei Bielow, Gordan Nikolic, Lev Poliakin and Myriam Dal Don, all winners of acknowledgements in other important violin competitions.
The “Città di Brescia” competition has always kept in consideration the need of inviting prominent personalities in the international scenario from the world of music as members of the jury, so as to ensure that they reach the most objective decisions possible. During the nine editions held so far, in the years 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1999 and 2001. The price has been awarded by members of the jury such as Marcello Abbado, Paolo Borciani, Duilio Courir, Maxim Fedotov, Franco Ferrara, Franco Fisch, Stefan Gheorghiu, Silvia Marcovici, Elisa Pegreffi, Leonardo Pinzauti, Corrado Romano, Cristiano Rossi, Max Rostal, Dora Schwartzberg, Tibor Varga, Pavel Vernikov, Krzystof Wegrzyn, Mario Zafred and Grigory Zistlin.
During the course of the previous nine editions there have been money prizes that have been put at candidates’ disposal amounting, overall, to more than 115.000 Euro, over and above the indications of winners and concerts in important seasons such as, among others, Il Teatro Alla Scala di Milano, Le Serate Musicali di Milano, The Concerts’ Societies of Milan, Parma, Verona and Brescia, Gli amici della Musica di Verona, the Jeunesse Musicale, l’Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, il Teatro Valli di Reggio Emilia, il Teatro Grande di Brescia, I Cameristi Lombardi, The Musical Autumn of Como, l’Orchestra Milano Classica, L’Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali, including the tour in the Ex Jugoslavia, in Belgium, in Switzerland and in Austria.
The “Città di Brescia” violin Competition has always been structured over three tests; an eliminatory one, a semi final and a final, and has, as its peculiarity, the absolute freedom in the formulation of musical programmes which are chosen by the candidates including a test dedicated to the orchestration of a trio with two musicians selected by the Artistic Management. As from the 1990 edition it has been compulsory, for the eliminatory test, to play the “Ciglio” by Franco Donatoni, an arrangement for a solo violin composed and donated by the artist in 1989 to the “Romano Romanini Foundation”. As from 1999 the final test has been carried out with help of a Symphony Orchestra, and, as from the 2004 edition the final with the Orchestra will be recorded by RAI-Radiotre.
The founder and the Artistic Director of the “Città di Brescia” Competition is Mario Conter, a great pianist, an Orchestra Director and the President of the Romano Romanini Foundation. Maestro Conter has been supported in his work since 2004, by Domenico Nordio winner of the “Viotti” Violin International Competition held in Vercelli in 1987 (with Yehudi Menuhin as President of the Jury) and of the Gran Prix at the 1988 edition at the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians and who is considered today as one of the leading musicians of his generation.
The seat of the “Città di Brescia” Competition is at the "Auditorium S.Barnaba" for the eliminatory and semi finals tests,and at the "Teatro Grande" for the final test.
As from the 2004 edition, the Competition will be regularly held on a triennial basis.