Terms and Conditions

2.1 Application Procedure 

Applicants must send the application form, completed in all its parts using the form attached to this announcement, no later than February 15, 2026 (the email send date will be considered proof of submission).

The following must be attached to the application:

* Copy of a valid identity document;

* One digital passport-sized photograph.

2.2 Application Fee (Preliminary Round) 

The application must include proof of payment of the non-refundable €40.00 (forty/00) application fee. Payment can be made via:

• PayPal: to the address nuovascuoladimusica@gmail.com 

    (account holder: Giuliano Molteni).

• Bank Transfer:

    • Beneficiary: Nuova Scuola di Musica di Cantù

    • Bank: Cassa Rurale ed Artigiana di Cantù

    • Address: Corso Unità d’Italia, 11, 22063 Cantù (CO) – Italia

    • IBAN: IT77 A084 3051 0600 0000 0985 428

    • SWIFT/BIC Code: ACARIT22

    • Reference: Iscrizione Concorso Pianoforte 2026 

    Applicant’s First and Last Name

3.1 Submission 

The preliminary round consists of submitting a video. The candidate must upload the video to their own YouTube channel with the “Unlisted” setting and insert the link in the appropriate space on the application form.

3.2 Repertoire 

The video must contain the performance of the first movement of the concerto chosen for participation in the Competition. For the following concertos, the complete work is required:

• F. Liszt: Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major

• F. Liszt: Concerto No. 2 in A Major

• F. Liszt: Totentanz

• G. Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue

• S. Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43

3.3 Performance 

The performance must be accompanied by a second piano or an orchestra. In the case of recordings taken from a public concert with orchestra, it is mandatory to attach the following information:

• Date and location of the concert

• Name of the Conductor

• Name of the Orchestra

3.4 Technical Specifications 

• The video recording must not be dated prior to January 1, 2024.

•The recording must be fixed, uninterrupted, and free of edits.

•The video quality must be at least 1080p HD.

•The pianist must be filmed so that the face and hands are clearly visible.

4.1 Notification 

The names of the candidates admitted to the semifinal round will be published by March 10, 2026, on the Competition’s official website and social media profiles. The Jury will select at least 9 candidates for Section A and at least 9 for Section B.

4.2 Participation Fee 

Candidates admitted to the semifinals must pay a non-refundable participation fee of €200.00 (two hundred/00) by the date that will be communicated to them. The payment methods are the same as those indicated in Art. 2.2.

4.3 General Rules 

• Failure to pay the fee will result in exclusion from the semifinal round.

• The decisions of the Jury are final and not subject to appeal.

• Candidates must not have had continuous didactic relationships with any member of the Jury in the two years preceding the Competition (2025-2026). The Management reserves the right to request a sworn affidavit (“dichiarazione sostitutiva di atto notorio”) regarding this matter.

5.1 Phases 

The Competition is divided into the following phases:

• Preliminary Round: video evaluation (Art. 3).

• Semifinals and Finals: live performances with orchestra at the Teatro Fumagalli.

5.2 Performance Schedule 

• Wednesday, May 6, 2026: Semifinals Section A (8 competitors). 

Afternoon: rehearsals with orchestra. Evening: performance.

• Thursday, May 7, 2026: Semifinals Section A and B (8 competitors). 

Afternoon: rehearsals with orchestra. Evening: performance.

• Friday, May 8, 2026: Semifinals Section B (8 competitors). 

Afternoon: rehearsals with orchestra. Evening: performance.

• Saturday, May 9, 2026: Final Section A (Classical). 

Afternoon: rehearsals with orchestra. Evening: performance.

• Sunday, May 10, 2026: Final Section B (Romantic and 20th Century). 

Afternoon: rehearsals with orchestra. 

Evening: performance and awards ceremony.

All open rehearsals and concerts are free and open to the public.

5.3 Contestant Obligations 

• Concertos must be performed from memory (by heart).

• In the semifinals, competitors will perform the second and third movements of the chosen concerto.

• Finalists will perform the entire concerto.

• Winners will perform free of charge in the prize concerts organized by the Competition. Refusal will result in forfeiture of the prize.

• By applying, competitors assign the rights for the use of images, audio, and video of their performances for all promotional and documentary activities of the Competition, by signing a specific release form.

• All competitors are required to be present at the awards ceremony on May 10, 2026, for the possible awarding of special prizes. Absence will result in forfeiture of these prizes, which may be reassigned.

6.1 Sections 

Candidates must choose one concerto from the following list, indicating the relevant section:

SECTION A (CLASSICAL)

• J.S. Bach: BWV 1052, 1053, 1054, 1055, 1056, 1057, 1058

• W.A. Mozart: K 271, 413, 414, 415, 453, 466, 467, 482, 488,        491, 503, 537, 595

• L. van Beethoven: All piano concertos

• J. Haydn: Concerto in D Major Hob. XVIII/11

Note: For Mozart concertos, candidates must indicate the cadenzas they intend to perform. If the cadenzas are their own original and unpublished compositions, it is mandatory to attach the score.

SECTION B (ROMANTIC AND 20TH CENTURY)

• F. Chopin: No. 1 Op. 11, No. 2 Op. 21

• R. Schumann: Op. 54

• F. Liszt: No. 1, No. 2, Totentanz

• F. Mendelssohn: No. 1 Op. 25

• J. Brahms: No. 1 Op. 15, No. 2 Op. 83

• P. I. Tchaikovsky: No. 1 Op. 23

• E. Grieg: Op. 16

• M. Ravel: in G Major

• S. Rachmaninoff: No. 1 Op. 1, No. 2 Op. 18, No. 3 Op. 30, 

    Rhapsody Op. 43

• G. Gershwin: in F Major, Rhapsody in Blue

• S. Prokofiev: No. 1 Op. 10, No. 2 Op. 16, No. 3 Op. 26

• D. Shostakovich: No. 2 Op. 102

• C. Saint-Saëns: No. 2, No. 5

6.2 Application to Multiple Sections 

Application to both sections is permitted, subject to payment of the respective application and participation fees for each section.

7.1 Hospitality 

Competitors admitted to the semifinals will be offered free accommodation for the entire duration of the Competition, with local host families selected by the organization.

7.2 Transportation

All travel expenses to and from Cantù are the sole responsibility of the competitors.

7.3 Information 

All logistical information regarding transportation, accommodation, and local travel will be provided to the semifinalists in a specific information document.

8.1 Prizes 

The following prizes are awarded for each Section:

• SECTION A: 

1st Prize €5,000; 2nd Prize €2,500; 3rd Prize €1,500

• SECTION B: 

1st Prize €5,000; 2nd Prize €2,500; 3rd Prize €1,500

8.2 Prize Allocation 

• The Jury may declare one or more prizes ex aequo, dividing the prize money into equal parts.

• The Jury reserves the right not to award one or more prizes if no candidate reaches the required artistic standard.

8.3  Special Prizes

Further Special Prizes are planned (scholarships, prizes offered by institutions and sponsors, concert opportunities) and will be awarded to the most deserving competitors.

8.4 Awards Ceremony

All prizes will be awarded during the final awards ceremony scheduled for the evening of May 10, 2026.

9.1 Acceptance of the Regulations 

Participation in the Competition implies full acceptance of all clauses of these regulations.

9.2 Titles Won 

Winners are required to correctly mention the title won in all future professional activities and curricula.

9.3  Disputes

For any dispute, the Italian version of these regulations shall be deemed authoritative. The competent court is that of Como.