The “Stefano Gueresi ODV” Association, in collaboration with the “Lucio Campiani” Conservatory of Music in Mantua, with the contribution and patronage of the Municipality of Mantua and the support of the Fondazione Banca Agricola Mantovana,

ANNOUNCES

that on November 7 and 8, 2025, at the Lucio Campiani Conservatory of Music in Mantua, the second edition of the "Stefano Gueresi Prize" will be held, dedicated to the best interpreters of the Mantuan composer’s music.
The competition is open to piano soloists.
Applications will be accepted until August 31, 2025.
Participation in the Stefano Gueresi Prize is governed by the official regulations, available for download at the provided link.

Regulations

REGULATIONS 2025

Prizes

First Prize: €1,500

Second Prize: €1,000

Third Prize: €500

Application

Participation is free of charge and applications must be submitted no later than August 31, 2025. The competition is open to musicians who have not reached the age of 30 by the application deadline.

In this section you will find the application form, as well as the parental consent form for underage participants. These documents must be duly completed, signed, scanned, and sent in PDF format to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., together with the applicant’s CV and a scanned copy of their ID document. If the applicant is underage, the parent’s ID must also be included.
For full details on the application process, please refer to the official Regulations.

APPLICATION FORM 2025

PARENTAL CONSENT 2025

Jury

The Jury for the Stefano Gueresi Prize is chaired by the Director of the Lucio Campiani Conservatory of Music in Mantua, or their delegate, and includes four musicians appointed by the Board of Directors of the “Stefano Gueresi ODV” Association.
These four musicians are distinguished professionals and deeply knowledgeable about Stefano Gueresi’s music: Maestro Carlo Cantini, violinist, performed in a trio with Stefano Gueresi on piano and Massimo Repellini on cello in numerous concerts and on the albums “Il destino dei sogni” and “I giorni impossibili”; Maestro Stefano Giavazzi has performed Gueresi’s piano compositions on various occasions since the composer’s passing (he is also the only pianist to have recorded Gueresi’s final piece, the Suite); Maestri Mario Lino Rossi and Federico Braga are currently working on transcribing and publishing Stefano Gueresi’s music.

Biographical notes of the Jury members:

FEDERICO BRAGA

After studying music with his father Franco, Federico Braga graduated with honors in piano under Teodoro Simoni at the Conservatory of Brescia. He later studied harpsichord with Fiorella Brancacci, earning top marks. He refined his skills with Kenneth Gilbert in Asolo and, after winning a scholarship, at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. He also studied for several years with Gilbert at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. As a solo harpsichordist he has won national and international competitions and, in 1990, won the audition for principal harpsichordist with the Orchestra Mozartiana di Giovani Solisti Italiani in Milan.
He maintains an active concert career as a soloist, in chamber ensembles, and with orchestras. He has collaborated with the Vox Aurae ensemble of Brescia, recording several records. He has performed at prestigious music events in Italy and abroad, receiving acclaim from audiences and critics alike. He has recorded for Vatican Radio and RadioTre.
Having won a national competition, he has taught harpsichord at the conservatories of Messina, Trento, and Pescara. He currently teaches Harpsichord and Historical Keyboards at the Campiani Conservatory in Mantua, where he also runs the Computerized Music Publishing course.

CARLO CANTINI

Violinist, composer, arranger, and producer.
A graduate with honors from the Conservatory of Mantua, he was concertmaster of the Mantua Chamber Orchestra from 1984 to 2002, performing at leading Italian and international venues such as Teatro alla Scala, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Teatro Regio in Turin, La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, and on RAI Radio and TV in Rome, Milan, and Turin, as well as Copenhagen Radio.
He has collaborated with renowned artists including Mstislav Rostropovich, Nathan Milstein, Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Wonder, and Astor Piazzolla.
Since 1998 he has had a close, ongoing collaboration with Antonella Ruggiero, both as a violinist and as an arranger and composer, performing with her in major theatres in Italy and abroad.
He has recorded for labels such as Sony, Decca, Universal, and Warner. As a producer, he was involved in the Sonohra duo project, arranging and conducting the winning song in the Sanremo 2008 Young Section for the RAI National Symphony Orchestra.
He currently performs with the Trilok Gurtu Band and Trilok Gurtu & Arkè String Quartet, playing in major music venues worldwide including the Royal Albert Hall in London, Olympia Stadium in Munich, New Morning in Paris, Birdland in Vienna, Blue Note in Milan, and other prestigious venues.

STEFANO GIAVAZZI

He completed his musical studies at the Conservatory of Music in Mantua, graduating with top marks and honors, then continued with Maestro Rinaldo Rossi. He pursued further training with J. Micault, G. Sandor, J. Achucarro, B. Bloch, M. Damerini, S. Perticaroli, and studied chamber music with Norbert Brainin and the Trio di Trieste.
He has received numerous prizes and awards in piano competitions and has performed for music associations in Italy and abroad. In 2000 he was invited to perform at the only Italian edition of the Europiano Congress.
He has recorded for Radio 3 and Slovenian Radio, and his discography includes a complete recording of Beethoven’s works for violin and piano with Franco Mezzena.
He has performed with chamber music partners such as the Tartini Quartet, Bin Huang, Astor Piazzolla, Lorna Windors, Paolo Ghidoni, Giuseppe Ettorre, Rodolfo Bonucci, Gabriella Munari, Franco Mezzena, Nicholas Jones, Iakov Zats, Vanessa Gravina, and Laura Morante.
He teaches at the Conservatory of Music in Mantua and has been Artistic Director of the Società della Musica di Mantova since its founding in 1995, organizing the MantovaMusica concert season, which hosts renowned international artists and promising young musicians.
In 2010/2011 he served on the Music Commission of Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, in the Live Performance section.

MARIO LINO ROSSI

After studying piano under Camillo Bertetti and composition with Paolo Perezzani at the Conservatory of Mantua, he pursued advanced piano pedagogy courses in Mantua with Rinaldo Rossi and attended courses in analysis and composition in Milan with Franco Donatoni.

He currently combines piano teaching with an active concert career, performing as a pianist and keyboardist with various ensembles, including the Carlo Cantini Quartet and the Apogeo String Orchestra.
He is also involved in music technology and multimedia production, creating radio formats and live and studio recordings. He has led educational workshops for students and composed works performed at the Teatro Bibiena in Mantua and other venues.
He works as a record producer (composer, arranger, sound engineer) at DimaMusic Studios, producing for the Japanese market.

Musical scores

This section lists the titles and musical scores (available for viewing and download via the provided links) of Stefano Gueresi’s pieces required for the competition.
As detailed in the Regulations, the competition consists of three rounds:
The first round must be recorded on video and the link submitted with the application by August 31, 2025
The second round will take place live before the Jury on November 7, 2025.
The third round will be held before an audience on November 8, 2025.
In two of the three rounds, competitors will perform music by Stefano Gueresi:
in the first round, the mandatory piece; in the third and final round, three selected pieces - one from Group A, one from Group B, and one from Group C.
The performance programme must be indicated on the application form and cannot be changed later. The detailed procedures for all three rounds are defined in the downloadable Regulations.

Mandatory Piece:

• "I misteri del bosco di Norrhult" (The Mysteries of Norrhult Woods) - [Download score]

Competition Schedule and Results

Section to be updated.

Contacts

“Stefano Gueresi ODV” Association - Tel. +39 0376 320777 - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.