RULES

The Triesis 488 Music Association, under the patronage of the Regional Government of Piedmont, the Province of Novara and the City of Novara, announces the sixth edition of the Sergio Fiorentino International Piano Competition.

The competition will take place on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th September 2026 in Novara (NO) Italy, at the Auditorium f.lli Olivieri Via Dominioni 1.

The competition is open to pianists of all nationalities who have not turned 33 at the start of the competition (2nd September 2026). 

Candidates with family relationship or who have any teaching relationship with one or more members of the jury are not allowed to apply. Participation in masterclasses does not imply any exclusion from the competition. Only the first 70 applications will be accepted. 

COMPETITION ROUNDS and REPERTORY                            

The competition consists in three solo rounds to be held live.

• PRELIMINARY ROUND                                                         

Free program of max. 15 minutes including one virtuoso etude chosen from those by F. Chopin, F. Liszt, C. Debussy, A. Scriabin, S. Rachmaninov, S. Prokofiev, B. Bartok, G. Ligeti, I. Stravinsky.

• SEMIFINAL ROUND                                                                                                                                               

Free program of max. 40 minutes that must include a Sonata chosen from those by J. Haydn, W.A. Mozart, M. Clementi, L.van Beethoven or one of the six Partitas, English or French Suites or Toccatas of J. S. Bach must be included.

• FINAL ROUND                                                                                                                                                             

Free program of max. 40 minutes.                                                                                                                            

All performances must be played from memory. All pieces must be published. The repetition of pieces from previous rounds is not allowed.

PRIZES

FIRST PRIZE (indivisible)
euro 8.500 (eight thousand five hundred euros) which: 

• 2.500 € (two thousand five hundred euros) to be given at the awards ceremony 

• 1.000 € (one thousand euros) for a recital and a masterclass to be given on the opening of the 2027 Sergio Fiorentino International Piano Competition.

• CD recording for URANIA Records label worth 3.500 € (three thousand five hundred euros); the CD willbe distrubuited in Italy, Germany, France, England, Japan, USA, Canada and on all digital platforms; the list of all distributors is available on: www.uraniarecords.com ; 

• During the opening concert of the 7th edition of the Sergio Fiorentino International Piano Competition 2027, the "Triesis 488" cultural and musical association will award 100 copies of the CD created by the winner of the 6th edition of the competition, worth 1.500 € (one thousand five hundred euros).

First prize diploma.

SECOND PRIZE
euro 2.000 (two thousand euros) and Second prize diploma.

THIRD PRIZE in memory of Marisa Carretta (1939-2025), piano teacher and esteemed colleague of Maestro Fiorentino.
euro 1.000 (one thousand euros) and Third prize diploma. 

The Artistic Director of "Villa Pennisi in Musica" will offer to the Third Prize winner a recital scheduled for the 2027 concert season. 

SPECIAL PRIZES

“G. CANTELLI” CONSERVATORY YOUTH AWARD offered by the Director of the Conservatorio Guido Cantelli

• euro 250 (two hundred and fifty/00), awarded to one of the finalists by a jury composed of selected students from the Conservatory’s academic piano courses.

SPECIAL AWARD “THE MAESTRO’S TRANSCRIPTIONS” offered by the Artistic Director

• euro 250 (two hundred and fifty/00), awarded for the best performance of the transcription “La chasse” by Niccolò Paganini / Sergio Fiorentino (PDF available upon request from the office after registration).

SPECIAL PRIZE in memory of the Neapolitan pianist and teacher ANNAMARIA PENNELLA (1923-2017), offered by Orazio Maione

• euro 300 (three hundred/00) for the best performance of a romantic piece (including S. Rachmaninoff) by a female competitor in the semifinal or final round.

A competition diploma as finalist will be given to the non-awarded pianists admitted to the final section.
The Jury has the faculty of non awarding prizes in case the performing level of thefandidates is not adequate.      
The prize-giving concert will take place on 5th September 2026 in Novara, Auditorium f.lli Olivieri; the non participation will imply the renunciation of any prize.

VOTING SYSTEM

The Jury’s judgement is unquestionable and irrevocable.
The transition from the Preliminary to the Semifinal Round will be determined by the number of "YES" expressed by the Jury for each competitor. The transition from the Semifinal to the Final Round will be determined by the calculation based a mathematical score system expressed by the Jury for each competitor.

APPLICATION

Applications for the Competition are open until the 20th of June 2026. To enroll the candidates have to fill the following Google form: https://forms.gle/vV5SCjkTx27e2Jc79

The application fee is € 120; payment details:
Beneficiary: Associazione Triesis 488
IBAN IT06J0306909606100000405274
BIC/SWIFT BCITITMM
DESCRIPTION: APPLICATION FEE FIORENTINO COMPETITON 2026 – Name, Surname
The application fee refers to payment by bank transfer; in case of payment by PayPal a commission of € 10 is added.

PRIVACY

The application implies the unconditioned acceptation of the present regulation. For any disputes, the court of Novara will be competent.
The candidate through the application authorizes – according to art. 97 of the Law about the copyright – to make audio-visual recordings about someone’s performance and broadcast on all platforms of the Association or connected to it and to publish photos on promotional material of the Association or exhibit on occasion of future events. In relation to this the candidates cannot advance any right or financial reward.
According to the art. 13 and 14 of GDPR – Regulation UE 2016/679 about copyright – the data provided on the application will be used exclusively to send information about the Competition excluding any other use.