The “Giuseppe Martucci International Prize” Competition is announced by the “Amici della Musica Vittorio Cocito” Association of Novara. Participation is open to pianists of any nationality who are between 16 and 26 years old as of the end of October 2025.
The Competition will take place in Novara from 17 to 19 October 2025 at the Guido Cantelli Conservatory of Novara (via Collegio Gallarini 1 – 28100 Novara).
The schedule and timetable of the competition will be communicated to the candidates in due time before the start of the event.
Candidates must present a valid identity document.
The Competition is public and consists of two distinct stages:
Competitors, in addition to one or more compositions by Giuseppe Martucci, must present a freely chosen programme, including their own compositions and/or improvisations, with a total duration between 50 and 60 minutes.
The Martucci pieces must be chosen from the following list:
The works listed above are published or can be found in libraries. In case of difficulty, you may contact info@amicimusicacocito.it by email.
NB: All candidates must present at least one piece by Martucci; however, only those presenting Martucci’s works for an indicative duration of 10 minutes will be eligible for the €500.00 prize mentioned in the “Prizes” section.
For the Selection Round, each competitor will perform the Martucci pieces and those pieces, or parts thereof, that the Jury will choose at the time. The candidate will play for about 30 minutes: the Jury has the right to interrupt the performance.
For the Final Round, competitors freely arrange the concert programme, choosing from the compositions listed at the time of registration, even if they were not performed in the Selection Round. The duration of the finalists’ programme for the Final Round will be defined by the Jury, but cannot be less than 30 minutes each.
For both rounds of the Competition, competitors are required to perform from memory and to present to the Jury the scores of the performed compositions. Martucci’s pieces, and contemporary music pieces, may be performed not from memory.
The Technical Jury consists of 5 members chosen from distinguished representatives of the Italian and international cultural and musical world. The names will be announced by September 2025.
The decisions of the Technical Jury are final and unappealable.
The Jury will not make rankings but, by majority, will indicate the competitors admitted to the Finalists’ Concert.
The Jury, if it deems it necessary, may give special mentions to competitors considered worthy of note, even if not finalists. Such mentions will be announced after the prize has been awarded.
The Jury will assign the Prizes referred to in numbers 1, 5, 6 and 8.
Persons who are related by kinship or affinity to the competitors or who have current or recent (within two years) teaching relationships with the competitors may not be part of the Technical Jury.
During the finalists’ concert on 19 October 2025, the audience present in the hall will determine, by voting, the absolute winner of the Prize.
The right to vote by the audience can be exercised only upon presentation of a valid entrance ticket.
The order of performance of the finalists will be determined by the drawing of lots among the candidates.
The absolute Winner will be announced at the end of the concert and the outcome of the Competition will be communicated online and through the press.
Competitors must submit, also by email, no later than 30 September 2025, the application for registration on plain paper to:
Associazione “Amici della Musica Vittorio Cocito”
Giuseppe Martucci International Prize,
via dei Cattaneo 15, 28100 Novara
info@amicimusicacocito.it
The application must be accompanied by:
Registration will be considered valid only if it includes proof of payment of the registration fee, which is €80.00, by bank transfer to:
Associazione “Amici della Musica Vittorio Cocito”
IBAN: IT50C0503410100000000001294
Reason: name, surname, Premio Martucci
Sending cheques or postal orders is not permitted.
The registration fee is non-refundable.
It is possible to register by sending an email, accompanied by the above documents, to info@amicimusicacocito.it, still respecting the deadline above for application submission.
In case of hardcopy application, it must arrive at the “Amici della Musica Vittorio Cocito” Association by the indicated date.
To apply, use the form at the bottom, as soon as available, including the signed data processing statement.
Late applications may exceptionally be accepted at the sole discretion of the artistic direction.
Incomplete applications or those not accompanied by the required documents will not be considered.
Candidates may not make any economic or other claims for audio recordings made during the elimination round and the Final Round of the Competition, nor for video recording and possible radio, television, internet, etc. use.
The Martucci Prize will take place with a minimum number of 4 candidates.
If by 30 September the minimum number of required candidates is not reached, the 2025 Prize will be postponed by one week, setting the new deadline to 7 October. If, even after this extension, the minimum is not reached, the competition for 2025 will be cancelled.
The maximum number of candidates is set at 14. If, as of 30 September 2025, the number is still higher, the Association reserves the right to consider alternative solutions in order to accommodate all candidates. If such solutions are not possible, candidates will be accepted based on the date of receipt of the registration transfer.
Participation in the Prize implies the unconditional acceptance of the rules of these regulations without reservation.
For any dispute, the competent court will be Novara, and the reference text of the announcement is the one written in Italian.
For information please contact info@amicimusicacocito.it by email
(Click here to download the form)
via dei Cattaneo 15
28100 Novara
Email: info@amicimusicacocito.it
C.F./P.I. 00855830030
Tel: +390321031518
