Russian Virtuoso Artem Kuznetsov Wins First Place At 33rd "Roma" International Piano Competition

Artem Kuznetsov, a 34-year-old Russian pianist, achieved victory in the final round of the 33rd International Piano Competition "Roma" on November 16, 2024, by winning the esteemed Grand Prix Chopin. His flawless rendition of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23, alongside the conductor Maestro Filippo Manci and his orchestra, mesmerized both the audience and the judges, establishing him as the standout performer of the competition.

The International Piano Competition "Roma”, founded in 1990 by the Fryderyk Chopin Association and led by its artistic founder Maestro Marcella Crudeli, is an annual classical piano competition held in Rome. The Cuomo Foundation has been its primary financial sponsor since 2004.

Institutional partners like the Ministry of Culture, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, EPTA-Italy, and the UNESCO Club of Rome also continue to support the International Piano Competition "Roma." In the last thirty years, it has established itself as a mainstay of classical music in the Italian capital, attracting and gathering promising, gifted young performers each year.

96 young classical pianists from 23 nations competed in the multiple preliminary rounds held in the cloister of San Giovanni Battista dei Genovesi. 

Over the course of two weeks, they contended in six major categories: Young Pianists, Emerging Pianists, Four-Hands Duo, Two-Piano Duo, and the second and first Chopin Prizes.

For the second year in a row, the final winners' concert was held at the Oratorio di San Francesco del Caravita, a 17th-century baroque building.

Madame Maria Elena Cuomo, and the Cuomo Foundation team, attended the closing night performance and award ceremony, and presented the three finalists with their prizes. The evening featured exceptional performances, showcasing the finalists' extraordinary talents. They played Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23, accompanied by Maestro Filippo Manci and his orchestra.

In addition, and in recognition of their virtuosity and emotional depth, Madame Maria Elena Cuomo honoured the second and third place winners Zvjezdan Vojvodić (Croatia, 21 years old) and Pierpaolo Buggiani (Italy, 18 years old) with special recognition prizes.

Winners of the 33rd International Piano Competition “Roma”

Young Pianists Category

Mert Hakan ŞEKER (b.2006 -Turkish)

Emerging Pianists Category

Greta Maria LOBEFARO (b.2001 - Italian) 

Four-Hands Duo Category

Auguste PETKŪNAITĖ (b.1998 - Lithuanian)
Ieva PETKŪNAITĖ (b.1998 - Lithuanian) 

Two-Piano Duo Category

Wang XIANG (b.1998 - Chinese)
Meng WANG (b.1990 - Chinese) 

Chopin Prize

1. Artem KUZNETSOV (b.1990 - Russian)
2. Zvjezdan VOJVODIĆ (b.2003 - Croatian)
3. Pierpaolo BUGGIANI (b.2006 – Italian)