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Barletta, Italy

Great success for the Premio Mauro Paolo Monopoli

Competitions

"Once again this year, our city has welcomed world-class international music, featuring young talents from every continent, and this is a source of immense pride"

The words of the Senator Dario Damiani echoed through the great hall of the Teatro Curci.  A packed Theatre, with almost every seat filled, hosted the final evening of the 29th “Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize” International Piano Competition, an event dedicated to the memory of Barletta-born pianist Mauro Paolo Monopoli.

Fifty-three candidates from around the world had registered for the 29th edition and were welcomed with a special quote by the late Maestro Carlo Maria Giulini, born in Barletta and former honorary president of the Competition, that was addressed to all participants: “I hope that the younger generations will dedicate themselves to music and, through sound, help others discover what the great composers have created to enrich the spiritual lives of human beings.” Carlo Maria Giulini’s words give a clear idea of the type of musician the Competition seeks and what pianists should strive to bring to their performances. 

After intense performances, only three musicians made it to the finals, selected by the jury chaired by Francesco Monopoli and composed of Andreas Fröhlich (Cologne University of Music and Dance), Nadia Lasserson (formerly of the London College of Music), Michael Markov (Enschede Conservatory), Herton Mikeli (Tirana Conservatory), Mario Coppola (Novara Conservatory), and Gianmarco Mulazzani (Riccione Music Institute). 

The three finalists performed accompanied by the Suoni del Sud Regional Orchestra, conducted with authority and verve by Maestro Benedetto Montebello, treating the audience to three hours of music of exceptional quality.

The Jury and the finalists

The final evening opened with a performance by Jia Fang (born 1999, Beijing), with Mozart’s Concerto KV 488: trained by Professor Danwen Wei, director of the Piano Department at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, she delivered a performance of extraordinary clarity of sound, with elegant phrasing and an uncommon sensitivity to tone, which was met with warm ovations. 

Next, 21-year-old Huan Shiqin—a student of Professor Jin Ju tackled Chopin’s First Piano Concerto in E minor, revealing a surprising interpretive maturity: the Larghetto reached heights of rare poetic intensity, while the concluding Rondo sparked thunderous applause. 

Closing the program, Cesare Caramuscio from Barletta—a graduate with honors from the “N. Piccinni” Conservatory in Bari, currently in Maestro Emanuele Arciuli’s class—performed Mozart’s KV 467 with technical confidence and genuine expressiveness, winning over the home audience with a moving and prolonged standing ovation. 

1st Prize winner Jia Fang

2nd Prize winner Huan Shiqin

The jury then announced the winners: First Prize went to Jia Fang; Second Prize went to Huan Shiqin and Third Prize to Cesare Caramuscio, who also won the Audience Award, greeted by a long round of applause and a show of affection that moved the entire audience. 

3rd Prize Cesare Caramuscio

Awards 
First prize :Jia Fang (27), Beijing
Second prize : Shiqin Huan (21), Beijing
Third prize: Cesare Caramuscio (25), Bari

Jury
Andreas Frölich, Nadia Lasserson, Michail Markov, Herton Mikeli, Mario Coppola, Gianmarco Mulazzani, Francesco Monopoli

Artists
ICO Orchestra Suoni del Sud/ Benedetto Montebello (Conductor)

©WFIMC 2026/SB