COMPETITIONS, A WINDOW ON THE FUTURE

With regard to young musicians, noteworthy is the collaboration with international and national competitions such as the much-coveted American competition devoted to chamber music, the “Fischoff Chamber Music Competition” of South Bend.
Another important collaboration is that underway with the “Concours internationaux de la Ville de Paris” (including the “Jean Pierre Rampal Competition”, the “Rostropovich Competition”, the “Maurice André Competition”.
In 2003 a new collaboration started with one of the most prestigious competition of the world : the “Queen Elisabeth International Music Competitio”n of Belgium
The Emilia Romagna Festival is a showcase for emerging international concert musicians and also confirms its concern for local life by inserting, alongside the winners of international competitions, space devoted to some important Italian competition as the “Castrocaro Classical Competition” or the “Gaetano Zinetti” International Chamber Music Competition”.

- The FISCHOFF CHAMBER MUSIC COMPETITION
The most important competition for chamber music in the United States. Begun in 1973, it takes place in South Bend, Indiana, each year in May.
The 2002 competition was held on the 10, 11 and 12 May 2002. Winner of this year was a remarkable wind quintet from Chicago, the ‘Attacca Quintet’, which will perform in ERF 2003 as quintet in residence.

- ASSOCIATIONS DE CONCOURS INTERNATIONAUX DE LA VILLE DE PARIS
Many of the most important world competitions are planned and organized by the City of Paris to promote young musicians of all nationalities and all schools.
Some of these competitions are connected with famous musicians who had, or still have, close links with Paris: the Jean Pierre Rampal Flute Competition, the Mstislav Rostropovich Cello Competition, the Maurice Andeé Trumpet Competition, the Martial Solal Piano-Jazz Competition, the Olivier Messiaen Competition and the Organ Competition.
In 2002 the Martial Solal Piano-Jazz Competition will be held in Paris (from 6 to 13 October) and the Organ Competition (from 3 to 17 November).
The winners will perform in the ERF 2003 edition.

-CONCOURS REINE ELISABETH half a century of emotion...
The Concours Reine Elisabeth, 50 years of history. Half a century of emotion …. This declaration could seem exaggerated but for fifty years this competition has brought melomania to a palette of extremely vast emotion: passion, joy, sadness, adherence, controversy…. united with music notwithstanding all the criticism and reserve that can be formulated from this. Finally a complex and rich phenomenon that resists every generalisation: not an audience of specialists but thousands of spectators and tens of thousands of televiewers. Not from the competitors – racing horses - but from young people with different pasts, their own potentiality, always fragile and dependent on infinitely different factors. The idea of the guide lines for the competition were a result of a meeting in 1900 between two people: Eugène Ysaye, who was at the peak of his exceptional career, and Elisabeth von Wittelsbach, Duchess of Baviera who had a devouring passion for music and was married to heir Prince Alberto of Belgium. What Ysaye wanted was a competition for young ‘virtuosi’ with a very wide programme that included contemporary music. After a succession of events, 1937 saw the birth of the first edition of the Concorso Ysaye. However it was only in 1950, with the support of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (who gives it her name), that the Concour Reine Elisabeth was born, based on the principles and ideas inherited directly from Ysaye. Since then this competition is considered throughout the world as one the most prestigious as well as one of the most difficult. It has been giving us emotion for fifty years.
The Emilia Romania Festival 2003 will host the new winner of the 2003 competition dedicated to the piano.

-CONCORSO CASTROCARO CLASSICA “Rassegna dei migliori diplomati dei Conservatori d’Italia” (logo)
In the spirit of encouraging young talent, now a marked characteristic of many events bearing the ‘Castrocaro’ stamp, the ‘Castrocaro Classic’ Competition also aims to encourage young musicians leaving Italian Conservatories, through contact with concert associations, the specialist press and, thanks to the production of a CD, the competition becomes an opportunity to become known and appreciated.
ERF 2003 will host the winner of the competition which will be held at Castrocaro between June and September 2002.



-THE CONCORSO INTERNAZIONALE DI MUSICA DA CAMERA "G. ZINETTI" was instituted in 1994 on the impetus of the Town Council of Sanguinetto and the town music school with the intent of honouring the memory of the illustrious composer and orchestra director from this town, Gaetano Zinetti , who lived in the late 18th century and early 19th century. The main objective of this competition has been from the outset to give an important opportunity to the best young concert players, an occasion that contributes to their success in the difficult world of concerts. The prize is included in the project for the valorisation of Sanguinetto’s historic artistic heritage as it is held inside the great Castello Scaligero which houses the renovated Teatro Comunale