VINCENZO BALZANI

Graduated in piano from the “Verdi” conservatory in Milan under Alberto Mozzati with highest honors. At 14, 1st prize at the “Ricordi” in Milan. At 16 “Liszt” prize at the “Maria Canals” in Barcelona. At 19 2nd prize at the “Pozzoli” in Seregno and 1st prize at the “Città di Treviso” and “F.P. Neglia” in Enna at the “G. B. Viotti” in Vercelli. In 1975, the centenary year of Maurice Ravel’s birth, he represented RAI in the review – competition at the ORTF in Paris . In the course of his career he has toured all over the world and performed for prestigious theaters and famous Italian festivals as a soloist with orchestra and in chamber ensembles (La Scala, San Carlo, Petruzzelli, Regio di Torino, Olimpico, Festival di Bergamo e Brescia, Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto, Settembre Musica). He has to his credit numerous radio and television recordings and recordings with music by Scarlatti, Mozart, Hummel, Beethoven, Chopin (complete Etudes Op.10 and Op.25), Rossini – Liszt, Schubert – Liszt, Debussy .

Since 1973 he has held the chair of principal piano until 1995 at the Conservatory of Piacenza and since 1996 at the G. Verdi Conservatory of Milan.

He is regularly invited to serve on juries of international competitions “Las Rozas Piano Competition”-Madrid, “London International Piano Competition- London, “Russian Piano Music Competition- Sanremo, “G.B. Viotti”- Vercelli, “Rina Sala Gallo”- Monza, “Pozzoli”- Seregno , “A. Scriabin” International Piano Competition- Grosseto, MozArte International Piano Competition- Germany, “Tchaikovsky junior” – Kurashiki, “Takamatsu International Piano Competition”- Japan, “Parnassos” Monterrey- Mexico, “Hummel “International Piano Competition-Slovakia, China Shenzhen International Piano Concerto Competition -China, “Maria Canals” Competition – Barcelona, International Piano Competition of Lyon -France) and to give masterclasses, lectures all over the globe. He has long combined concert and teaching activities with organizational ones.

He is currently the artistic director of the international competitions “Città di Cantù” and “Valsesia Musica” and the competitions reserved for young talents, “Pianotalents” in Milan, “Monterosa – Kawai” in Varallo, the “Tadini International” in Lovere and the Champion’s Keyboard Piano Competition Online.

From 2010 to 2021 he was artistic advisor of the prestigious “Pozzoli” competition in Seregno and since 2012 of the Pozzolino until 2020.

Since 2009, founder and Artistic Director of the Pianofriends Association of Milan.

He is President of the PianoIn Association of Varese.

Since January 2018, he has been regularly invited to give concerts, seminars and master classes in the most important halls in the People’s Republic of China and in Hong Kong as a testimonial of the Yangtze River Grand Piano.

He was invited in October 2023 to give a seminar and masterclass at the University “F. Chopin” Warsaw.

He has been a lecturer at the Accademia del Ridotto in Stradella since 2021.