International Piano Academy “Meetings with the Master”
The International Piano Academy ” Meetings with the Master (Incontri col Maestro)” in Imola is a highly refined school located in the splendid Sforza Castle of Imola. The Academy was established in the early eighties thanks to Maestro Franco Scala’s intuition and his piano class at the Pesaro Conservatory. The task of this class was to think about piano teaching in new terms, staying open to different experiences to traditional canons.
With this prospect of renewal, the “Incontri col Maestro” Private Music Association was born in 1981 in the Franco Scala studio of Imola, funded by the students who were part of it. The idea that inspired this Association at the core of the Piano Academy of Imola, was to prepare the students by “meeting the teachers.” This method teaches through the comparison of the experiences of some greats of international pianism, and examines the interpretation of aesthetic, historical and technical aspects of pianism.
Through this work that combines novelty and high-level musical education, the Accademia Pianistica was quick to achieve an extraordinary international reputation, acquired over the years thanks to its students accolades including over 60 top prizes in major piano competitions around the world. To name just a few: the “Arthur Rubistein” Prize in Tel Aviv, the “Franz Liszt” Prize from Utrecht, the “Ferruccio Busoni” of Bolzano, the “Queen Elisabeth” of Brussels, the “Van Cliburn” in Texas, the “Paloma O’Shea” from Santander, “Leeds Piano Competition“, the “UNISA” award in South Africa, the “Maria Canals” award in Barcelona, the “Mozart Competition” in Salzburg.
The students of the Academy are often invited to play festivals and prestigious concerts around the world. They recently performed at the White House in the US and in the Sala Nervi “Paul VI” at the Vatican for Pope Benedict XVI.
