The Italian Cultural Institute of Prague and the “I Teatri di Reggio Emilia” Foundation hosted the presentation of the 14th edition of the Paolo Borciani Prize in the Institute’s Baroque chapel. The competition is scheduled to take place from 29 May to 6 June 2027 at the Teatro Municipale Valli in Reggio Emilia. The event was opened by the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Marialuisa Pappalardo, and featured speeches by Paolo Cantù, Director of the Foundation, and Maestro Francesco Filidei, Artistic Director of the Prize.
The musical performance of the evening was given by the Fibonacci Quartet – Kryštof Kohout, Luna de Mol, Elliot Kempton and Findlay Spence – winners of the 2024 edition. The ensemble performed Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in D major, Op. 64 No. 5, “The Lark”, a selection of arrangements of Moravian folk music, and Leoš Janáček’s String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”.
Established in 1987 in memory of Paolo Borciani, founder of the Quartetto Italiano, the Prize is now one of the most prestigious international competitions dedicated to string quartets. As part of the initiative, Francesco Filidei also held a masterclass for composition students at the Music and Dance Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU).
