COMUNE DI MORCONE Cittadinanza Onoraria a Salvatore Orlando

MUNICIPAL MUSIC SCHOOL
“ACCADEMIA MURGANTINA” of Morcone
Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. S. Bernardino Auditorium
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50th Anniversary – “Accademia Murgantina” Municipal Music School 1976–2026: Half a century of music, culture, and passion in Morcone

There is an invisible, resilient thread woven from notes and passion that, for fifty years, has connected generations of young people to the beauty of art.

Before the establishment of the “Accademia Murgantina” Municipal Music School, Morcone was home to the Beniamino Cesi Music High School.

It was 1976 when, in Morcone (Benevento), thanks to the far-sighted Mayor Dr. Tommaso Paulucci—who was also responsible for the name “Accademia Murgantina” (from Mount Mucre)—and Maestro Salvatore Orlando, the “Accademia Murgantina” Municipal Music School of Morcone was founded, inspired by an ambitious and enlightened dream: to offer young people the opportunity to practice the musical arts alongside great musicians from the international scene, spreading a love of music and the arts, based on the firm belief that art might one day truly improve the world.

A cultural beacon of excellence in an age of limited horizons. At a time when musical education in the area was severely limited and fragmented, the Accademia Murgantina established itself as a temple of teaching and culture.

During its golden years, it represented an extraordinary southern alternative to the Chigiana Academy of Siena, attracting talents, teachers, and enthusiasts from everywhere. They were hosted free of charge—including room and board—in accommodations arranged in Morcone’s schools and by local families. Pianos were made available for study in every shop in town.

Its innovative and rigorous educational program carefully distinguished basic piano training from advanced study, while complementing both with master classes taught by the greatest names in international concert music, live painting events, chamber music, and jazz. The Academy hosted legendary figures from the international scene and presented unforgettable concerts.

One of the highlights of our Murgantina history is undoubtedly the Sergei Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition, which earned the nickname “the Busoni of the South.”

This international competition carried out an extraordinary pioneering mission: introducing the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff to Italy and much of the world. At the time, he was still almost completely unknown to the general public and was even omitted from the UTET Encyclopedia of Music of those years.

We received inquiries from the most distant countries in the world requesting detailed information about his compositions and instructions on how to obtain them. Thanks to the pianist Sergio Fiorentino, who owned the scores, it was nevertheless possible to circulate them widely.

But Morcone was not only the cradle of the great classical tradition. Under the long artistic direction of Salvatore Orlando, the Academy also had the courage to look beyond it, opening its doors to painting through live painting events and to jazz.

With the creation of “SANNIO JAZZ” (the first jazz festival in the Benevento area) and “MORCONESANNIOJAZZ,” the Sannio village offered an exceptional stage to Italian jazz musicians and to the greatest jazz artists on the international scene.

To celebrate this extraordinary fiftieth anniversary, the S. Bernardino Auditorium in Morcone is preparing to host an afternoon of celebration, remembrance, and forward-looking vision.

The event will open with a moment of institutional and personal significance: the awarding of Honorary Citizenship to Salvatore Orlando, the Academy’s longtime Artistic Director until 2014.

This will be followed by a wide-ranging roundtable discussion featuring distinguished music masters, including:

Massimiliano Baggio, pianist and Director of the Milan Conservatory of Music. In the 1980s, he attended Sergio Fiorentino’s master classes in Morcone and will participate via live connection from Milan on a large screen.

He performs as part of a piano duo with Cristina Frosini, a formation with which he has won prestigious international competitions and given hundreds of concerts for Italy’s leading institutions. His intense chamber-music activities have taken him to important venues throughout Europe—including Berlin, Stockholm, and Moscow—as well as to the United States and Asia, including Seoul. He has taught master classes in Lithuania, Germany, Iceland, the United States, Switzerland, Spain, South Korea, and Japan. As musical consultant to Milan’s Società Umanitaria, he oversees its artistic programming and its international competition for young talents from European conservatories.

Luigi Giova is distinguished by a dual commitment: on the one hand, he is a musician, music educator, and music therapist; on the other, he is a passionate local-history researcher. He founded the “Tumpa” project, which has taken the form of a mobile app for children designed to promote music education and music therapy. His academic training culminated in a degree in “Music Technologies and Performing Arts Organization,” completed with Salvatore Orlando at the Benevento Conservatory. His thesis, “The Accademia Murgantina Case,” reflects both his technical preparation and his interest in the organizational and cultural dynamics of musical performance.

Carla Di Lena, pianist, music historian, and music journalist, teaches at the “Santa Cecilia” Conservatory in Rome. She trained under Marcella Crudeli and later pursued advanced studies with Emanuele Verona and Jean Micault. She has won awards as a soloist and as part of a duo. She graduated with honors in Literature from Rome’s “La Sapienza” University, with a thesis on the piano in nineteenth-century Naples, and for many years has researched the history of piano technique, teaching, and interpretation. A registered journalist, she collaborates with Rai Radio 3, Vatican Radio, and specialist publications. For Vatican Radio, she produced broadcasts on Sergio Fiorentino and an “Homage from Morcone.”

Ivan Donchev is a highly talented Bulgarian pianist who made his solo debut at the age of nine. He began his studies with Julia Nenova at the National School of Burgas and pursued advanced studies with Aldo Ciccolini from 2007 to 2013. At sixteen, he won numerous first prizes, including the prestigious “Frédéric Chopin” Grand Prix. Over the course of his career, he has received many other awards, including First Prize at the 2004 Sergio Fiorentino International Piano Competition. He has collaborated with leading orchestras and internationally renowned conductors.

Gianluca Giganti, a renowned Italian cellist, is unanimously recognized as one of the most interesting cellists of his generation. He teaches at the Benevento Conservatory and has served on the juries of chamber-music competitions in Morcone. After graduating from Rome’s Santa Cecilia Conservatory, he continued his studies with Mario Brunello, Franco Maggio-Ormezowski, Mark Drobinsky, and Mischa Maisky. In 1994, he became the first Italian to win the prestigious “Prague Spring” International Competition, followed by victory at the “Caruana-Stradivari” Competition in Milan in 1996. He has served as principal cellist with the orchestras of Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI Turin, the Mantua Chamber Orchestra, the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, and others. He is also active in chamber ensembles, performing with artists such as Uto Ughi and François-Joël Thiollier. He has appeared at major international festivals and prestigious concert halls, including the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow.

Francesco Libetta has been celebrated throughout the world and by the international press with memorable descriptions, including “an aristocratic poet of the keyboard,” possessing the bearing of a Renaissance prince, as described by The New York Times. He has been regarded as the heir to the great historical masters of the keyboard, while Paolo Isotta hailed him as the greatest living pianist. These accolades emphasize his extraordinary technique and charisma, which make him one of the greatest virtuosos of the contemporary piano and one of the most cultured musicians in the world. He teaches at the “Paolo Grassi Foundation” in Martina Franca and formerly taught at the Lecce Conservatory. He has recorded an enormous piano repertoire, including recent CDs for Sony, as well as numerous complete cycles and videos. Particularly famous is the recording of his recital at the La Roque d’Anthéron Festival in France in 2002, produced by Bruno Monsaingeon—the renowned documentarian of Glenn Gould and Sviatoslav Richter—which received a Diapason d’Or and the CHOC award from Le Monde de la Musique. In addition to being a pianist, he is a composer and writer. He has served on the juries of numerous competitions, including the Sergei Rachmaninoff Competition in Morcone.

Michele Puzio is a pianist trained at the Naples Conservatory and a refined, cultured cultural organizer. He served as artistic secretary of Naples’ historic “Scarlatti Association” and of the “Friends of Music” in Torre del Greco. As a pianist, he has performed with various chamber ensembles. He is a respected teacher at the “San Pietro a Majella” Conservatory in Naples. He has served on the juries of numerous music competitions, including those in Morcone, personally providing cash prizes as well.

Riccardo Risaliti studied at the schools of Rio Nardi and Luigi Dallapiccola, continuing his training with Nikita Magaloff, Carlo Zecchi, and Sergio Lorenzi. After winning several piano competitions, he embarked on a major concert career and became one of the foremost scholars of piano interpretation. He collaborates with specialist music magazines devoted to the piano and has edited important editions for Ricordi and Curci. An expert music critic, he has taught at the Milan Conservatory and teaches at the “Incontri con il Maestro” International Piano Academy in Imola. He serves on the juries of numerous international piano competitions, including the Sergei Rachmaninoff Competition in Morcone.

Salvatore Orlando, trained at the “San Pietro a Majella” Conservatory in his native city, is above all a piano teacher with extensive and well-established experience. He is known for his interpretive maturity and for his innovative and courageous choices, which combine power with expressive depth. Formerly a teacher at the conservatories of Campobasso and Benevento, he has also taught music technologies, experimenting—among the first in Italy—with the fusion of acoustic and digital instruments in collaboration with cellist Gianluca Giganti.

Over the years, he has trained numerous talented and noteworthy students. He served as Artistic Director of the Accademia Murgantina of Morcone, making a significant contribution to the growth and recognition of the music school, teaching piano courses and consolidating his reputation as a respected teacher and a leading figure in piano education.

Tommaso Paulucci was Mayor of Morcone when the institution was founded and was its undisputed creator and cultural driving force. Thanks to him, Morcone welcomed and promoted the arts in a significant way. A man of extraordinary vision and culture, Paulucci stood out for his far-sightedness and great seriousness, also holding prestigious political positions. He actively promoted the arts and cultural events, helping to transform Morcone into a center for artistic initiatives and festivals. Thanks to his initiatives, Morcone gained greater visibility. He is remembered as a visionary man of culture and a highly serious politician, leaving a legacy that continues to be celebrated through local initiatives. Thanks to him, Morcone established itself as an important cultural and artistic center.

The fifty years of the Accademia Murgantina represent far more than an anniversary: they tell the story of encounters, emotions, notes, and lessons that continue to live in the present. It is a precious legacy that today inspires students and teachers to look toward the future of culture and arts education with renewed enthusiasm.

The musical program will be a tribute to Sergio Fiorentino by the Bulgarian pianist Ivan Donchev—winner of First Prize at the 2004 “Sergio Fiorentino” International Piano Competition in Morcone—who will perform Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 36, by S. Rachmaninoff.

The event will conclude with a celebratory toast honoring a glorious past and a future yet to be rewritten.

P.S.
There was no intention to exclude the many other important names who made the miracle of the Accademia Murgantina of Morcone possible. The choices were based on the contacts that are still active with the Academy.

Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
S. Bernardino Auditorium, Morcone (BN)
Admission is free, and everyone is warmly invited to attend.

We look forward to seeing you,

The Accademia Murgantina Staff
Web: storienapoli.it/2021/10/30/...