It all started at La Fenice

By Giorgia Leso

From winning the Venice Prize in 2012, through to the beginning of her piano career.  Giulia Rossini, pianist, from Milan, is now back to the prestigious theatre of the Lagoon for the opening of the competition. A pianist fiancée, in future maybe a duet and then, who knows, a family?

«All it takes for someone to win a prize is to deal with every single stage as if it were a concert and not a competition». And if it is Giulia Rossini to say so, you can trust her word: the twenty-year old pianist from Milan, who was triumphant at the Venice Prize in 2012, will be back at La Fenice on Monday, November 4 – for the inaugural concert to the latest edition of the competition dedicated to all pianists who have graduated from Conservatories with top marks – to perform pieces by Beethoven, Schumann and Liszt. After studying at Alice Mazzei’s Casa delle Note, Giulia graduated – with the highest honours degree achievable – from the Conservatory Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, with Silvia Rumi, under whose guidance she is now attending a postgraduate course. She is also specialising at the Imola Academy (for Advanced Piano Performance Specialisation) with Leonid Margarius. In 2012 she debuted at the Carnegie Hall in New York after winning the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition.

How important are competitions for young people who want to become concert performers?

«They are possibly the only way to acquire some visibility. And even if you don’t win, it is such an important experience».

Why?

«The most prestigious ones are followed by many people from the music industry, and the jury panel may well develop a positive opinion of a candidate who is ultimately not awarded the prize.»

How did your life change after winning the Venice Prize?

«In the last year I performed at so many concerts, I have been contacted by so many institutions and I was always on the go. Last May I debuted with La Fenice Orchestra.»

Was it the first time you performed with an orchestra?

«No, it wasn’t. When I was fifteen, I performed with the orchestra of the Conservatory, in Milan, but with the orchestra at La Fenice it was a completely new experience, very exciting.»

What do you do in your spare time?

«As I am often at home studying, or on the train, I tend to go out with my friends and my fiancée. His name is Alberto Dalgo and he is a great pianist.»

Have you ever played together?

«No, but we’d like to. Who knows… maybe we could make a duet! »

How do you imagine your future?

«I hope I’ll have a career as a musician, but my greatest dream is to get married and have children. If I succeeded in combining the two, that would be perfect!»