La Tribuna di Treviso
Elia Cecino won the prestigious Premio Venezia.
“Taking part to competitions has helped me. Now I will hold many concerts.”
«He has just won one of the most prestigious piano competition, the Premio Venezia, reserved to young pianists up to 24 who have a Summa cum Laude diploma from Italian Conservatories. Elia Cecino, 18 from Casale sul Sile (Treviso), talks about it with the spontaneity of those who are used to competitions as he started taking part to musical contests at 12 and he has already won more than sixty both national and international competitions. He graduated in piano at only 17 at the Conservatory of Cesena Summa cum Laude with Maddalena De Facci, who continues to be his most important guide even now that he attends master classes at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole and at the Accademia del Ridotto di Stradella.
⌈ Reading your long curriculum one wonders… how have you managed to achieve all this at the age of only 18? ⌋
«I have optimized my time! As a matter of fact I started studying at 9, a bit later compared to other pianists and almost by chance when I was thinking about taking an afternoon activity. After having started with some sport and the guitar, I was struck by the piano. When I started taking part to piano contests at 12, I understood that that was my way and I started to study with much more intensity.»
⌈ Has the experience you have gained taking part to contests been helpful to win the Premio Venezia? ⌋
«Definitely. Playing for a jury is much different than playing for an audience and having already done that several times made me calmer. In addition, the trials were very close in time and mastering the stress has proved to be important also because I wanted to perform four programs that are completely different in style and age in order to offer a more complete idea of who I am. Even this aspect has been appreciated by the jury.»
⌈ Do you think that the musical competitions are useful to be successful as a concert performer? ⌋
«Taking part to competitions is always useful for growing as an interpreter as well as for facing other pianists and for being seen by great Maestros and what is more, winning a competition also means to have the opportunity to hold concerts, twenty-one to be precise, with the Premio Venezia. Thanks to musical competitions I have travelled widely, I have met a lot of young pianists and I have known musicians, I have learnt very much and last but not least I have also won a lot of cash prizes and concerts. However, if I will become a concert performer or not… we will see.»
⌈ The piano demands passion but a lot of commitment too: what is your typical day like? ⌋
«I am attending the second year of Secondary School for Foreign Languages through home schooling and I play at least 7-8 hours per day, taking turns with my sister Vera who is a pianist as well. Then I travel a lot because of the concerts and competitions. I spend my free time with my family that supports me all the time and with the friends mostly connected to the world of music.»
⌈ Don’t you miss the light-hearted time of adolescence? ⌋
«To tell you the truth I don’t. I travel a lot and visiting new places and meeting new people is enriching. Besides, I love the time I spend studying including those hours playing chamber music with other musicians.»
⌈ What about your dreams? ⌋
«Keeping on discovering the beauty of music and of the life as a musician which is demanding but I wouldn’t dream a different one.»
Marina Grasso
La Tribuna di Treviso
October 22, 2019