IPPA Conero International Piano Festival and Competition

21/08/2026

So grateful to see our festival featured by Radio Erre! 🎹🇮🇹

What makes this festival so special is the beautiful collaboration between IPPA, the B. Gigli School of Music, the City of Recanati, our incredible faculty, and the many people in the community who welcomed us so warmly.

We are proud to continue building this bridge between Recanati and the international piano community. 🌎🎶

Nella settimana dall’1 al 9 agosto la Civica Scuola di Musica ‘Beniamino Gigli’ ha ospitato la fase finale dell’8° edizione del Conero International Piano Festival: 34 giovani pianisti da diversi continenti, masterclass con docenti internazionali e una settimana di concerti nei luoghi della...

10/08/2026

✨ IPPA Conero International Piano Festival — Day 9: A Grand Finale! 🎹🇮🇹

Our final day at the IPPA Conero International Piano Festival was filled with music, celebration, and more than a few emotional moments. ❤️

The day began with final rehearsals and lessons as everyone prepared for the afternoon’s Young Musician & Chamber Music Concert, featuring piano duets, trios, and chamber music. At 4:00 PM, our students took the stage for a phenomenal performance, combining beloved classical literature with more relaxed and familiar popular tunes—a beautiful and refreshing way to spend our final afternoon together. 🎶

The music was followed by our closing ceremony, where faculty, participants, and parents shared reflections and experiences from throughout the festival. We celebrated the many accomplishments of our students and faculty before presenting everyone with their certificates of participation. 🏆

And then came one of the most meaningful moments of the day: our final dinner together. Participants, faculty, parents, and staff gathered around the table one last time, sharing stories, laughter, memories, and a few emotional goodbyes. It was an intimate and special moment to appreciate the community we created together over these unforgettable days. ❤️

But the music wasn’t over yet!

We headed to the third and final Concerto Night, where our festival soloists once again delivered magnificent performances. 🎹✨

Congratulations to Xinxing Yu, Christopher Smith, Niles Zhao, Meiyang Song, and Matthea Zhao for their outstanding performances of works by Grieg, Schumann, and Beethoven, bringing the festival to a spectacular conclusion.

What an incredible journey these nine days have been—filled with music, learning, friendship, discovery, laughter, and unforgettable memories.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our students, faculty, parents, staff, collaborators, and everyone who made this festival possible. You are what made IPPA Conero 2026 so special.

Until we meet again in Conero… 🇮🇹🎹❤️

Grazie di cuore, and congratulations to everyone!

09/08/2026

🎹 IPPA Conero International Piano Festival — Day 8! 🇮🇹

Our eighth day at the festival was filled with learning, creativity, professional development, and another unforgettable evening of music!

The morning began with Dr. Peter Mack, who led an engaging talk on applause etiquette and concert protocol, focusing on how to bow and properly greet the concertmaster and conductor before and after performing a concerto, with particular attention to bowing technique and stage presence.

Dr. Inesa Sinkevych then took over with her workshop for students in the Professional and Concerto Programs, while Dr. Alejandro Avila taught his final Young Musician group class on improvisation techniques. The students had the opportunity to explore their creativity and experiment with improvisation using their own solo repertoire. 🎶

In the afternoon, Dr. Felix Tao Chang conducted the festival’s final masterclass, working with four students—two from the Young Musician Program and two from the Professional Program—on works by Bach, Schumann, and Scriabin.

The afternoon concluded with our always-important Career Development Workshop, led by Dr. Ivy Lu Wang, Dr. Alejandro Avila, Dr. Rosy Ge, and Micaela Gulino. Together, they shared personal experiences, insights, strategies, and practical advice with students from the Professional and Concerto Programs about building a successful career in music and navigating the many possibilities available to musicians today. 🎓🎵

And then came Concerto Night 2! 🎹✨

The evening featured outstanding performances by Xiyao Luo, Kherlen Purvee, Yeawon Kim, Seokjin Bae, and ChenTianXin Liang, performing different movements from Beethoven’s First and Third Piano Concertos. A magnificent night filled with virtuosity, artistry, and brilliant performances!

We are already underway with activities for our final day of the festival. It is hard to believe that this incredible experience is coming to an end. We are looking forward to one more day of music, learning, friendship, and, most importantly, creating those final lasting memories together. ❤️🎶

​​onero

08/08/2026

🎹 IPPA Conero International Piano Festival — Day 7! 🇮🇹

Another incredible and action-packed day at the IPPA Conero International Piano Festival!

🌅 Morning activities began with Dr. Ivy Iu Wang and her workshop, “No Pain, No Gain — False!” — an important and insightful session focused on healthy practice habits for pianists and developing a sustainable approach to piano practice.

Concurrently, Dr. Rosy Ge worked with our Young Musician Program participants in their group class.

The morning continued with Dr. Hye Jung Hong’s performance class, chamber music rehearsals, duet coaching, and rehearsals for our Young Musician Program and Chamber Music Workshop participants.

📚 We also had our final pedagogy presentations, presented by our wonderful pedagogy scholars. Their presentations brought together the knowledge, research, and ideas they have been developing throughout the festival and provided a wonderful conclusion to our pedagogy series.

🌞 The afternoon continued with individual lessons and a masterclass with Dr. Wei-Han Su, featuring Anna He, Meiyang Song, and Yuka Ivan So, performing works by Liszt, Ravel, and Bartók.

🎼✨ But the highlight of the day was undoubtedly our Concerto night no. 1 at the Aula Magna of Recanati!

Six outstanding musicians from our Concerto Program took the stage for an unforgettable evening of performances:

🎹 Yuwon Kim
🎹 Chenling Xia
🎹 Yeonwoo Kim
🎹 Arabelle Grote
🎹 Luisa Zúñiga
🎹 Victoria Marie Ramos

We were incredibly proud to hear these six talented young artists perform with such artistry, dedication, and confidence, under the direction of Maestro Lorenzo Di Bella. What a special experience for our students — and for all of us fortunate enough to witness it! 👏🎶

🇮🇹 Another memorable day in Recanati, filled with learning, collaboration, and extraordinary music-making.

And there is still more to come! 🎹✨

07/08/2026

DAY 6 | A DAY OFF 🌊🇮🇹

Day 6 gave us a wonderful opportunity to slow down, explore, and enjoy a relaxing day together! ☀️

We visited the beautiful town of Loreto and its magnificent church, followed by a boat tour along the Adriatic coast that took us to the stunning Due Sorelle Beach. A perfect day to recharge, enjoy the scenery, and spend time together outside the festival activities. 💙🌊

In the evening, we returned to the music with our third and final Student Recital of the festival! 🎹✨ Our students gave wonderful performances, bringing together everything they have been working on throughout these days. Congratulations to all of our performers!

And now, we’re ready for Day 7! 🎶

Today brings more workshops, lectures, rehearsals, lessons, and—most excitingly—the first of three concert nights at the Aula Magna in Recanati! 🎼✨

More music, more memories, and more exciting moments ahead!

IPPA Conero International Piano Festival 2026 🇮🇹🎹

07/08/2026

The King 👑 is preparing to go to his Hall 🎹😆🙌🏼

06/08/2026

Day 6 escape ✅

After days of non-stop festival energy, we needed a reset.

Started in Loreto—where the Virgin Mary's house allegedly flew in from Nazareth by angels in 1294. The sanctuary built around it (1468–1587) is a stunning Gothic-Renaissance hybrid, and the Black Madonna inside is the patron saint of aviators.

Then hopped a boat to Due Sorelle beach. Legend says a mermaid once lured sailors here with her song, aided by a sea demon who was eventually turned to stone—and split in two. Those two twin rocks are the "sisters" guarding this wild, pebble beach. Only reachable by boat, completely unspoiled, with the remains of a 1962 shipwreck visible just offshore for divers.
Perfect break!

06/08/2026

Day 5 at the IPPA Conero International Piano Festival was another wonderful day of music, learning, and community!

Our morning began with Dr. Scott McBride Smith’s engaging workshop on the art of piano pedaling, held concurrently with Dr. Wenjing Liu’s Young Musician group class. The day continued with Dr. Wei-Han Su’s performance class, while other students enjoyed private lessons and our Young Musician participants continued rehearsing their duets and chamber music, growing together as musicians and collaborators.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed an inspiring masterclass by Dr. Hye Jung Hong, featuring outstanding performances by Justin Wang and XinXing Yu in works by Mozart and Liszt. It was a wonderful afternoon of thoughtful music-making and artistic growth.

Before dinner, our women faculty and participants came together for a meaningful Women in Music Round Table. It was a welcoming space to share experiences, discuss challenges and opportunities in the music profession, exchange practical strategies, and encourage one another. Conversations like these remind us that building a supportive musical community is just as important as developing artistic excellence.

Our faculty then enjoyed a special dinner at the historic Borgo Antico, celebrating the friendships and shared experiences that make this festival so special. We concluded the evening with our second Student Recital, where our talented participants once again delivered fantastic performances, bringing another beautiful day to a close.

Now we look ahead to Day 6! Our participants will enjoy a well-deserved day of exploration with a visit to the historic Basilica of Loreto, followed by a boat excursion to the breathtaking Due Sorelle beach. We’ll return in the evening for our final Student Recital of the festival.

We can’t wait for today’s adventure!

05/08/2026

Day 4 at the IPPA Conero International Piano Festival was another unforgettable day filled with music, learning, collaboration, and community!

Our morning began with two inspiring sessions running concurrently. Dr. Peter Mack led his engaging “Art of the Phrase” workshop, encouraging participants to think deeply about shaping musical lines and communicating through every phrase. At the same time, Dr. Rosy Ge’s Young Musician group class explored “how to make musical decisions”- helping our young pianists develop informed, thoughtful approaches to interpretation.

Throughout the morning, our chamber music participants also enjoyed rehearsals with guest artists Federico Belluccini, cello, and Luca Mengoni, violin. A special thank you to Dr. Wenjing Liu for facilitating these collaborative sessions and helping bring together our pianists and chamber musicians.

In the afternoon, Dr. Inesa Sinkevych presented an outstanding masterclass featuring Victoria Ramos in Blumenfeld’s Étude for the Left Hand Alone and Seokjin Bae performing Schumann/Liszt’s Widmung. Their performances, along with Dr. Sinkevych’s insightful coaching, made for a memorable afternoon of musical growth.

While the musical activities continued, many of our parents, chaperones, pedagogy scholars, as well as our Chairman and one of our festival coordinators, enjoyed a wonderful wine tour experience at Garofoli, taking in one of the beautiful traditions of the Marche region.

The evening concluded with one of our favorite festival traditions - the Open Air Concert in the beautiful courtyard of Palazzo Venieri. Selected students and faculty shared inspiring performances in a magical outdoor setting, creating another memorable night for everyone in attendance. And of course, no Open Air Concert is complete without our traditional Gelato Night, where students celebrated together after a wonderful evening of music!

It was an incredibly full and rewarding day, showcasing everything that makes the IPPA Conero International Piano Festival so special: outstanding artistry, meaningful learning experiences, collaboration, and lasting friendships.

Day 5 is already underway - stay tuned!

05/08/2026

When you play Rigoletto Paraphrase in Italy 🇮🇹🤌🏼😮‍💨😆🙌🏼🎹