Jury members
Giuliano Mazzoccante CHAIRMAN • Italy
Born in Chieti, he studied under the guidance of Lucia Passaglia at the Conservatory “L. Cherubini” in Florence graduating with highest honours. He participated as a student performer on a three-year piano perfection course at the “Accademia Musicale Umbra” where he achieved a “Diploma of Excellence”. Later, he participated in the “International Master Classes” in Klaipeda (Lithuania), held by Lazar Berman. With him, his concert repertoire deepened and improved with particular attention to the music of F. Liszt, at the European Academy of Music, Erba (CO). He perfected Chamber Music at the International School of Chamber Music in Duino under the guidance of “Trio of Trieste” achieving a “Diploma with Merit”. He has won national and international competitions, including “M. Clementi” in Florence, “Agorà 80″ in Rome, “F. Liszt” in Lucca, and “Città di Stresa”.
Pavel Gililov Austria / Germany
Pavel Gililov was born in the Soviet Union and was discovered by Dimitry Kabalevsky, as a musical talent. In 1972, whilst still a student, he won the Moscow National Piano Competition and was awarded a prize at the 1975 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw. From 1982 until his retirement, in 2013, he was piano professor at the Hochschule fur Musik in Cologne and is Guest Professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. The pianist holds several master classes throughout Europe and the Far East and is Chairman of the Jury and Artistic Director at the International Telekom Beethoven Competition, Bonn. He is considered one of the most influential piano experts in the world and is responsible for many pianistic careers of the last decades.
Grigory Gruzman Germany
Born 1956 in St. Petersburg. Grigory Gruzman had his first piano lessons at the age of five. He attended Special music school for gifted children in St. Petersburg. While attending school he had more than 300 appearances on stage in different Russian cities. He studied with Prof. Gregory Haimowsky at the Academy of Music in Jerusalem and with Prof. Vitalij Margulis at the College of Music in Freiburg (Germany). He is a prize winner of international piano competitions in Monza and Vercelli (Italy).
Claudio Trovajoli Italy
Claudio Trovajoli began his concert activity already in his years of study at the Conservatory, performing both in Italy and abroad. Very soon he followed his interest in the chamber music repertoire and performed in various formations, from the duo to the quintet. He founded the David Trio which immediately established itself as one of the prominent chamber groups of the Italian music scene. He won the Absolute First Prize at the "S.Fuga" National Competition in Turin and the "G.B.Viotti" International Competition in Vercelli, the First Prize Absolute and the Haydn Prize for best performance at the International Piano Competition for Trio with Piano "F. J. Haydn ” in Vienna and the First Absolute Prize at the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition (Ohio, USA), the First Prize and the Audience Award at the Easton International Chamber Music Competition (Maryland, USA) and received the award of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni scholarship in London.
Mariangela Vacatello Italy
In the two decades since her professional debut, pianist Mariangela Vacatello has brought her virtuosity, passionate interpretations, and magnificent musicality to diverse global audiences. She is recognized worldwide as an exceptionally gifted artist, reflected in the numerous awards and effusive reviews she has received for both her live performances and recordings for Brilliant Classics. Her performances are regularly broadcasted by prestigious Radio Stations worldwide. The Second Prize at the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in 1999 at the age of 17 catapulted her towards an international career as a soloist, performing at Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Walt Disney Hall, Montpellier Festival, Carnegie Weill Hall in NYC, Oriental Centre in Shanghaj.