Italy’s Alberto Ferro wins Ljubljana International Piano Competition

Alberto Ferro of Italy has won the second Ljubljana International Piano Competition, organised by the Ljubljana Festival.

In addition to the top prize of €50,000, the winner secured a series of potential concert engagements through 2028, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.

The 28-year-old pianist impressed the international jury with his technical mastery and interpretative depth. In the final round, he performed Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 accompanied by the RTV Slovenija Symphony Orchestra.

Ferro's victory also brings a series of additional engagements. These include performances organised by the competition's artistic director in the 2026/27 season, an appearance at the Emilia Romagna Festival in 2027/28, a solo performance with the SNG Maribor Symphony Orchestra in either the 2026/27 or 2027/28 season, and a soloist appearance in the semi-finals of the Pehlivanian International Conducting Competition.

Born in 1996, Ferro studied under Professor Epifanio Comis at the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory in Catania. He has since performed widely across Europe with major ensembles, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Belgian National Orchestra, the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra, the La Fenice Theatre Orchestra, and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra.

The Ljubljana triennial competition was first held in spring 2023 and the next edition is scheduled for 2029. Festival director Darko Brlek hopes that the event will soon join the ranks of the world's most prestigious piano contests in Warsaw, Moscow and Brussels.

Alongside Ferro, the finalists included Jonathan Mak, Heeseong Noh, Youl Sun, Zhiquan Wang and Elia Cecino. They were selected from 29 competitors by an 11-member international jury chaired by renowned Slovenian pianist Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak.

Photo courtesy of Ljubljana Festival