Accademia di Musica’ students Serena Valluzzi and Francesco Granata were among the finalists in the 2021 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious music competitions.
Serena Valluzzi, year of birth 1994, has been announced as the 4th Busoni Prize Winner at the competition’s 63rd edition. She is a student of advanced music course taught by Enrico Pace and of the Light course by Benedetto Lupo. Serena Valluzzi began her musical studies at the age of four and at seventeen she obtained her diploma in piano at the Conservatorio “N. Piccinni” of Bari. At the age of fourteen she made her debut with the Orchestra Molisana conducted by Franz Albanese in Isernia, interpreting Mozart’s Concerto K466, and in 2015 in Ramnicu Valcea in Romania performing the Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini op. 43 by S. Rachmaninov with the “Ion Dumitrescu” Philharmonic. She won the 55th edition of the “A. Speranza” International Piano Competition in Taranto and the Alkan Prize for piano virtuosity in 2020. She has obtained numerous other awards, including: 4th prize at the “Premio Venezia” 2012, 1st prize at the “Sante Centurione 2019” in Chieti, 3rd prize and “Young Jury prize” at the Livorno Piano Competition 2020 and many others.
- Her concerts at Busoni Competition >>
- Her concert at Accademia di Musica:
Francesco Granata year of birth 1998, has been announced as the 6th Busoni Prize Winner at the competition’s 63rd edition, ex aequo with Illia Ovcharenko. He has a student of Light Courses taughts by Benedetto Lupo and by Roberto Plano. Francesco Granata graduated in piano from the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan in 2016 with the highest marks and distinction, and in 2019 obtained the Master Course Diploma from the St. Cecilia Academy in Rome under the guidance of Benedetto Lupo. In 2020 he was admitted to the Jacobs School of Music (USA). He has obtained several prizes, resulting absolute winner in several prestigious contests and in 2017 won the XXXIV edition of “Premio Venezia”. Since the age of eight, he has performed in solo recitals and in various ensemble concerts in Italy and abroad. At thirteen he made his debut as soloist with orchestra. In 2019 he played with the orchestra of La Fenice in Venice, under the baton of Jonathan Webb. In 2018 he recorded his first CD, released as a supplement to the Italian music magazine “Suonare news”.
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