The Art of Cultivation – A Music and Friendship Bootcamp for Young Pianists

On the shores of Lake Maggiore, in the municipality of Laveno-Mombello, stands Villa Caterina, a very special house with very special guests. Here they all meet and study: PianoFriends, a musical association founded by Vincenzo Balzani and Catia Iglesias. The aim is perfecting the musical training of piano talents and to offer them multiple opportunities to perform in concert.

A cozy and familiar environment welcomes students eager to create a solid foundation from which to enter into the world of professionalism. They study under the guidance of Vincenzo Balzani, an esteemed pianist of the international music scene and professor emeritus of the “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory of Milano, who regularly serves on competition juries and gives master-classes and lectures both in Italy and abroad.

The strong conviction that studying from an early age with great masters can encourage the development of natural talent, Vincenzo Balzani has conceived his PianoFriends as a kind of laboratory in which each is taken care of and followed from the beginning until the formation of an authentic musical personality.

Prof. Vincenzo Balzani with students in Villa Caterina (Laveno-Mombello, Italy)

Playing in public, dealing with a knowledgeable audience and performing in prestigious locations, is an important step in the artistic and personal growth of the young artist. PianoFriends offers many opportunities to perform. These include master classes with pianists, representing important European piano schools and important collaborations such as the Campus Youth Festival, which is organized in partnership with Festspiele Südtirol, the South Tyrolean Festival which organizes a final concert in the prestigious Sala Mahler.

Among the central activities is the PianoTalents Competition, which will take place from June 5 to 10, 2018 at Casa Verdi in Milano and will feature young pianists from age 5 to 21. Milano works like a second home of PianoFriends.

These are just some of the initiatives promoted by PianoFriends. Vincenzo Balzani says: “We all know how important it is for the maturation of an artist to constantly compare what has been learned and what has been done. PianoFriends is happy and honored to be able to create a bridge between organizers and the bodies or associations asking for collaboration.”

In order to help talents with limited economic means, PianoFriends encourages the public to support them through economic contributions that will help to pay tuition costs, purchase or hire of a piano, fees for participation in competitions or master classes etcetera.

So who joins PianoFriends? What are the requirements to become part of this great musical family? Not only talent, attitude and love for music, but also and above all; rigor, devotion and the knowledge that this artform requires the willingness to fully dedicate one’s life to it.

The air you breathe at PianoFriends is truly unique, an atmosphere of friendship and that special bond that only music can create. At Villa Caterina these young pianists study, learn, grow and prepare together for a life dedicated to music.

Read more at pianofriends.eu