Ninth Edition of the G. Mensi International Clarinet Competition

by Luigi Magistrelli

The ninth edition of the G. Mensi International Clarinet Competition in Breno, Italy, took place on May 31 and June 1, 2015. Breno is a nice little town in the north part of Italy where Giacomo Mensi was born. Mensi was a talented clarinetist who studied at the local conservatory in Darfo Boario Terme and then took a diploma at the Hochschule of Freiburg (Germany), studying with the well-known player Dieter Klöcker. Soon after his graduation he died in a tragic car accident. This competition has been organized in order to keep alive the memory of this young player.

From left to right: Paolo Poma (second prize Excellence category), Luigi Magistrelli (jury), Simone Silvestri (third prize Excellence category), Bartolo Mensi (father of Giacomo Mensi), Nicola Miorada (jury), Nadia Bartolomei (first prize Excellence category), Luca Colombarolli (pianist of the competition), Silvio Maggioni (jury), Primo Borali (jury), Piero Vincenti (jury)

In the competition the clarinetists could compete in three different categories: Young Promises A, up to 13 years of age; Young Promises B, from 14 to 17 years; and the third category Excellence, with no age limits. The president of the jury was Piero Vincenti. The other members of the jury were Luigi Magistrelli, Nicola Miorada, Primo Borali and Silvio Maggioni, who was also the organizer and artistic director of the competition. A good number of participants were from Italy and the Czech Republic.

In the Excellence category, the first round required participants to play the first movement of the Scherzo Fantastico of Angelo Inglese and the Rossini Variations in C Major. In the second round, the compulsory pieces were the Mozart Clarinet Concerto (first movement) and Stravinsky Three Pieces. In the third round they had to play again the Rossini Variations. The winner, Nadia Bortolamedi, performed the Rossini Variations on June 1, 2015, with the Valle Camonica Orchestra conducted by Silvio Maggioni.

Here is the full list of winners: