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Art. 1 The competition is addressed to young professional musicians of all nationalities with the purpose to promote the musical culture and encourage them to music study.
Art. 2 The competition will take place on 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 July 2026, at the Sala Alida Ferrarini in Villafranca di Verona.
Art. 3 The performances will be public and split up into the following Sections and Categories:
FIRST SECTION
Cat. A: born from 2016 onwards; free repertoire, max. 8 min.
Cat. B: born from 2013 to 2015; free repertoire, max. 12 min.
Cat. C: born from 2009 to 2012; free repertoire, max. 15 min.
Cat. D: born from 2004 to 2008; free repertoire, max. 20 min.
Cat. E: born from 1999 to 2003; free repertoire, max. 30 min.
For Categories D and E, the execution by heart is mandatory. The candidates are allowed to make their registration in a higher Category according to their age, but not in the inferior one.
SECOND SECTION
“Piano Performance” at unique category, open to pianists born from 1986 onwards and split up in three rounds (the execution by heart is mandatory):
Preliminary Round: free repertoire between 15 and 20 minutes, including a brilliant étude chosen among the following composers: F. Chopin, F. Liszt, C. Debussy, S. Rachmaninov, S. Prokofiev, A. Skrjabin, B. Bartók, or G. Ligeti.
Semifinal (maximum 12 candidates): free repertoire between 20 and 25 minutes. It is not allowed to repeat the program played in the Preliminary Round.
Final (3 candidates): free repertoire between 35 and 40 minutes. It is not allowed to repeat the program played in the previous rounds.
Art. 4 The application fee will be fully reimbursed in case of suppression of one or more Categories, if the Management does not consider sufficient the number of competitors registered. In case of cancellation by the candidate for any reason, the application fee will not be reimbursed. The soloists of the First Section are allowed to take part at the Second Section too and vice versa, but with a different program.
Art. 5 Simplified transcriptions are not permitted.
Art. 6 The organization assumes no responsibility for risks or damages of any nature that may occur to candidates during the entire event. Therefore, it is advisable for candidates to have insurance coverage for the duration of their stay in Italy.
Art. 7 The competitors are allowed to practice the piano in Sala Alida Ferrarini in the timing fixed established by the organization. The management of practice rooms is handled by the artistic organization and is subject to booking, which must be made exclusively at the Theater premises.
Art. 8 For both Sections, the competitors must present an Identity Document and one copy of the pieces to be played that must be edited. It will no longer be possible to make changes to the program after June 15, 2026.
Art. 9 The competitors will perform in alphabetical order starting from the letter drawn as soon as the registrations have been completed, both for the First Section and the Second Section. There will be two further draws after the results of the Preliminary Round and the Semifinal of the “Piano Performance” Section. The calendar of the auditions will be published on the website of the Competition. Each competitor is required to inform personally and send an e-mail to the artistic direction if they can no longer participate in the auditions.
Art. 10 The results will be announced at the end of the auditions for each Category and for each round of the "Piano Performance" Section. The final of the "Piano Performance" Section (3 competitors) will take place in concert form. All the Absolute First Prizes for each Category and the finalists of the "Piano Performance" Section will be asked to exhibit at the Prizing Ceremony that will take place on Sunday July 5th, 2026 at 6 p.m. at Sala Alida Ferrarini in Villafranca di Verona, otherwise they will lose their prize. The prizes cannot be mailed. The prizing of the First, Second, Third and Fourth classified, will be made at the end of each Category’s performance.
Art. 11 The jury is formed by musicians of international fame. The judges who have had continuous teaching relationship with one or more candidates up to two years prior the competition, must abstain from the discussion and the voting of the performance of these candidates. The jury has the right to interrupt the execution if it exceeds the allowed duration. The jury has the right not to award prizes and scholarships to candidates who do not achieve a qualitative level worth of being awarded of the prize. The jury’s judgment is unquestionable and unflappable.
Art. 12 The Organizing Management reserves the right to set up sub-commissions for the various Sections, as well as to integrate them with other judges in case of absence of the listed Masters.
Art. 13 Jury evaluations for the "Piano Performance" section will follow the criteria below:
Preliminary Round and Semifinal: judgment will be expressed via a ("Yes" / "No") system, aimed at determining the candidates' progression to the next round.
Final: the Jury will assign a numerical score from 1 to 3 to each finalist to define the final ranking and the assignment of the first three prizes.
Art. 14 By registering for the Competition, the candidate (or parent in the case of a minor) authorizes the "Quattro Quarti" Musical Association, pursuant to Articles 10 and 320 of the Civil Code and Articles 96 and 97 of Law April 22, 1941 no. 633 (Copyright Law), to publish photos, videos, or other audiovisual materials portraying the competitors, recorded by personnel authorized by the aforementioned Association, on the Competition website. For candidates in the "Piano Performance" Section, authorization extends to the broadcasting of rounds on the official YouTube channel of the Competition and its storage in the digital archive. This authorization does not grant the right to any compensation or economic claim.
Art. 15 All travel and accommodation expenses are borne by the competitors. A list of hotels can be consulted on the Competition website.
Art. 16 The registration to the Competition involves unconditional acceptance of the rules established by this announcement.
PRIZES
FIRST SECTION PRIZES (CATEGORIES)
First Absolute Prizes with higher score not inferior to 95/100 will receive a Cup, Diploma and Scholarship: Cat. A: € 100; Cat. B: € 150; Cat. C: € 200; Cat. D: € 300; Cat. E: € 400.
First Prizes (with score from 95 to 99/100): Cup and Diploma. Second Prizes (with score from 90 to 94/100): Medal and Diploma. Third Prizes (with score from 85 to 89/100): Medal and Diploma. Fourth Prizes (with score from 80 to 84/100): Diploma.
All remaining competitors will receive the Attendance Diploma. The jury has the right to award ex-aequo prizes for all Categories and in this case the Scholarships will be equally divided among the winners.
SECOND SECTION PRIZES (PIANO PERFORMANCE)
First Prize: € 4.000
Second Prize: € 1.500
Third Prize: € 800
Ex-aequo prizes will be awarded.
In the case of an ex-aequo first prize, the prize money will be divided equally.
In the case of an ex-aequo second prize, the prize money will be € 1.000 for each candidate.
In the case of an ex-aequo third prize, the prize money will be € 600 for each candidate.
SPECIAL PRIZES
Public Prize "Rinaldo Rossi": awarded to the competitor who will obtain the highest number of votes from the public during the Award Ceremony: scholarship of Euro 300.
Absolute Prize of the Competition: awarded by the jury to the musician distinguishing himself for technical, expressive and musical qualities: scholarship of Euro 300.
Special Prize for the best performance of a Sonata: awarded to the best performance of an important Sonata from L.V. Beethoven onwards in the Piano Performance Section: scholarship of Euro 300.
APPLICATION TERMS
Registration will take place via an electronic form available on the competition website (www.villafrancapianocompetition.com) starting from March 1, 2026. The registration form must be filled out in its entirety and sent no later than June 10, 2026. In addition, for the candidates in the SECOND SECTION "Piano Performance," it is mandatory to send a high-resolution close-up photo of the candidate to be used for Competition graphics. For every clarification, please contact the organization (+39 347/7847028 - +39 388/6945548) or send an e-mail to villafrancapianocompetition@gmail.com.
APPLICATION FEES
FIRST SECTION: Category A (€ 45), B (€ 50), C (€ 55), D (€ 60), E (€ 70).
SECOND SECTION: Piano Performance (€ 100).
PAYMENT TERMS
Via PAYPAL in the dedicated section of the website (an additional commission fee will be applied at the competitor's expense) or via Bank Transfer:
IBAN: IT79 S 05696 11700 000003494X43
BIC: POSOIT22
Beneficiary: Associazione Musicale "Quattro Quarti"
Bank: Banca Popolare di Sondrio, filiale 11700 Corso Cavour, 45 Verona, 37121
Description/Reason: “Application to 7th Villafranca International Piano Competition” specifying the competitor's name, Section, and Category.
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