Inaugural Piazzolla Music Competition Launches Today

The Piazzolla family and PARMA Recordings honour the trailblazing Italian/Argentine composer's centenary with a thrilling new competition

Together with Fundación Astor Piazzolla and the composer's family, PARMA Recordings have today announced news of the first edition of the Piazzolla Music Competition, in honor of the monumental composer and the 100th anniversary of his birth

The Piazzolla Music Competition seeks to continue Piazzolla's legacy as the single most influential figure in the history of tango, by identifying and celebrating highly talented musicians of any instrument or voice type with an affinity for the inimitable style and virtuosity of Astor Piazzolla's compositions

The esteemed individuals comprising the jury include: Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Pablo Ziegler (President of the Jury); Grammy Award-winning bandoneonist Héctor del Curto; bandoneonist /composer David Binelli; Daniel Villaflor Piazzolla, grandson of Astor Piazzolla and vice president of Fundación Astor Piazzolla; tango singer, actress, and dancer Sandra Rumolino; accordionist, bandoneonist, and composer Cesere Chiacchiaretta; Professor of Music Composition at Rice University, Arthur Gottschalk; Walther Castro, bandoneonist, composer and arranger; performing arts manager Pablo Petrocelli; Croatian Music Institute President Romana Matanovac Vučković, Institution Management owner and arts consultant Masae Shiwa; and Jia Rui, Vice President of JoyTitan Entertainment

Judged through video submissions sent in by applicants, the competition winners will be announced on June 15, 2021.

Inclusive of all pre-professional and professional soloists and ensembles of 6 or fewer of any nationality, state, or country of residence, any contestant over the age of 13 (at the time of video submission) is eligible to apply.

The Piazzolla Competion offers the highly coveted grand prize, in both the solo and ensemble divisions, of a cash prize ($1500 USD for soloist, $3500 USD for ensemble), a recording and release deal with PARMA Recordings's Navona Records, as well as a concert tour throughout China arranged and funded by PARMA.

Second and Third Prize winners receive Silver or Bronze medallions, respectively, to mark their outstanding talent and potential.

Special Prizes include the Pablo Ziegler Award, a masterclass for the soloist or ensemble recipient and Maestro Pablo Ziegler, facilitated by PARMA Recordings; or an invitation to perform with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Grosseto Symphony Orchestra, or Athens Philharmonia Orchestra in the 2022/2023 season, with concerts scheduled, booked, and funded by the respective acclaimed ensembles.

The application process, designed with inclusivity of resource availability at the forefront, requires musicians to submit by video at least two pieces totaling a minimum of six minutes, performing only music of Astor Piazzolla, from any time between April 18, 2011 and the application deadline of April 18, 2021. Submission videos must show the musicians with hands and faces fully visible in one, unedited take. In order to comply with COVID-19 precautions, new ensemble videos may be recorded "frame-in-frame" in one unedited take, and must date to January 1, 2020 or later.

Applications are open from today. Finalists will be listed publicly on May 18, 2021, and the Winners Announcement will take place on June 15, 2021

Learn more at https://www.piazzollacompetition.com.

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