AAF-2024

AAF Award Apart from the receptions which are held with the financial support of AAF, a new initiative was taken in 2015: to offer a special prize, the AAF Award . With this Award, AAF wishes to encourage and support outstanding pianists at the early stage of their concert careers. In every competition, excellent pianists take part. Many of them have already clearly demonstrated to be professional musicians, who are ready to give wonderful performances. However, in a competition there is always the possibility of not receiving a prize. With this in mind, the idea of an AAF Award was conceived: to be given to a contestant who clearly stands out in an international competition and who deserves some more support and special attention. (Originally, the idea was that it would be given to a non-finalist.) The prize consists of financial support and assistance in the realisation of a next step in the winner´s career, while AAF also gives him or her some extra international publicity and exposure. Naturally, Martha Argerich is also informed and the possibility of having the Award Winner perform in one of her Festivals is among the options to be considered. In 2015, the AAF Award was offered at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw and at the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition . At both competitions, Martha Argerich was on the jury and had thus the opportunity to hear and evaluate the pianists herself. In 2016, the AAF Award was offered at three competitions: the Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia (two AAF Award winners), the Cleveland International Piano Competition and the Edvard Grieg Competition in Bergen (Norway). In 2021, it was decided to give the AAF Award to the Italian pianist Scipione Sangiovanni, who had already stood out at several competitions, among which the Top of the World Competition in Tromsø (Norway, 2019).

Scipione Sangiovanni The AAF Award has not been awarded for a while, but AAF is looking forward to discovering and awarding promising pianists again at the competitions that can be attended.

Alink-Argerich Foundation 2024