About
“Thanks to music, I always discover new realities and countries that are different from mine. We musicians have the task of spreading classical music to an audience of all ages and backgrounds. Through our choices, we can also discover the works of living authors that synthesize the moods of today's society.”
When Elia Cecino was 9 years old, his parents suggested piano lessons, among other various extracurricular activities. He enrolled in the music school in Treviso and began studying with Maddalena De Facci. It was her enthusiasm and the inspiration from his advanced classmates that he credits with his accelerated development; soon he started traveling across Italy and then internationally to play and learn, before graduating summa cum laude at the age of 17 at Cesena Conservatory. The following year he won the 36th Premio Venezia, reserved for the best graduates of Italian conservatories. He went on to study at the Accademia del Ridotto di Stradella with Andrzej Jasinski (master’s) and is now with Boris Berman.
He has performed in recitals across Europe, the United States, and Israel; orchestral highlights include the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice, Louisiana Philharmonic, Simfònica del Vallès, Sinfónica de Galicia, Orquesta de València, Düsseldorf Symphony, Sichuan Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic. 2023 saw two projects for Elia: a new classical music festival in the places he grew up, offering classical music in unexpected contexts, and a community project which involved donating a piano to an orphanage in Bucharest where he’ll also organize events for children.
In international piano competitions, Elia won the Iturbi (València) in 2023, New Orleans in 2022, James Mottram (Manchester, UK) in 2021, and Ricard Viñes (Lleida, Spain), and was a finalist in the 2023 Rubinstein (Tel Aviv). He’s released two albums and participated in the TV show Prodigi, a talent competition for young musicians and dancers broadcast on RAI 1 in collaboration with UNICEF.
Competition Repertoire
Preliminary Round
- SHOSTAKOVICH Prelude and Fugue in B-flat Major, op. 87, no. 21
- MONTERO Rachtime
- BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 16 in G Major, op. 31, no. 1
- GOUNOD–LISZT Waltz from the Opera Faust
Quarterfinal Round
- HAYDN Sonata in E Minor, Hob. XVI:34
- MENDELSSOHN Variations sérieuses, op. 54
- SCRIABIN Sonata No. 3 in F-sharp Minor, op. 23
Semifinal Round - Recital
- TCHAIKOVSKY Nocturne in F Major, op. 10, no. 1
- SCHUMANN Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp Minor, op. 11
- GUBAIDULINA Toccata-troncata
- PROKOFIEV Sonata No. 7 in B-flat Major, op. 83
Semifinal Round - Mozart Concerto
- MOZART Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491
Final Round - Concerto 1
- BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, op. 37
Final Round - Concerto 2
- TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23