The project of the “Salieri-Zinetti” International Chamber Music Competition - which is named after its promoting Institutions, the “Antonio Salieri” Foundation of Legnago and the “Gaetano Zinetti” Cultural Association of Sanguinetto - starts in 2010, but derives from the experience matured by its staff organising the “Gaetano Zinetti” International Chamber Music Competition over the period 1998-2009.

Privileged partners of the initiative are the University of Verona, which hosts the preliminary rounds, the Conservatory of Music of Mantua, where the semi-final is held, the Conservatory of Music of Verona, where the Final takes place. The Concert of Winners is held at Sala Maffeiana of the Accademia Filarmonica, the most prestigeous place for music in Verona, where in 1770 the young Mozart succesfully performed. A favourable auspice for the winners of the “Salieri-Zinetti” Competition which has as its main purpose that of offering a career platform to the best young concert artists, an opportunity to be recognised in the difficult world of concert performances. 

The Competition has been creating with the intention of paying homage to the memory of two illustrious musicians born in the Verona plain: Antonio Salieri (1750-1825), from Legnago, the famous composer who had in Vienna the greatest appreciations, and Gaetano Zinetti (1873-1911), from Sanguinetto, composer and conductor who started very young a great career that led him to conduct in the most prestigeous European opera theatres.

A reward for excellence.

The competition offers important money prizes to the winners: Euro 10,000 for the 1st place, Euro 4,000 for the 2nd and Euro 2,000 for the 3rd.

An innovation - tied to the results of a motivational research according to which the principal reason that urges young musicians to participate in competitions is constituted by the concerts opportunities offered - is that Prizes make up a scholarship which constitutes a fee for the realization of concerts (a 10 concerts tournée for the winning ensemble; 4 concerts are offered to the 2nd classified group and 2 concerts to the 3rd; travelling and lodgings expenses are refunded).

Moreover there is the Recording Award which offers the opportunity, to an ensemble chosen from amongst those who have distinguished themselves the most, to record a compact disk that will be part of the Azzurra Music Recording Company catalogue and will be distributed and presented to the music press. This initiative is of particular interest to young people with talent who have not yet had the opportunity to make a recording and can obtain, by so doing, an invaluable tool for the promotion of their career, the quality of which is guaranteed by a specific selection. It is in this respect that the recording will distinguish itself from others produced according to indifferent criteria purely for reasons of self promotion.

Zinettiadi.

A parallel initiative, called "Zinettiadi" Soirées, has been set up for a better involvement of the local community. They are private performances for small audiences held in the days of the Competition. The purposes of Soirées are: to provide ensembles with an opportunity to perform their repertoire prior to their test in the competition; to present chamber music in an intimate setting; to increase local awareness of chamber music; to increase local support for the International Competition. These Soirées will help the project to carry out its role of chamber music promotion at a local level.

The organization

The realization of the Competition takes advantage of a positive match between artistic and managerial cultures, a match that not often may be found in relations between arts and economics. Besides the collaboration of great masters coming from important Schools of Music, the initiative could rely on a professional planning and general co-ordination entrusted to Filippo Maria Cailotto, a qualified cultural manager, and on professional structures for the administrative and secretarial aspects