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Young Venetian pianist Chiara Opalio is the winner of several prestigious prizes such as, “Rahn Wettbewerb 2016” in Zürich, Solistenwettbewerb in Zofingen, and more recently she is prize winner at the Kiefer Hablitzel Musikpreis. 

In September 2011 she was the only European amongst the six semifinalists at the International "Clara Haskil” Competition.

 

Ms. Opalio has an active schedule as a soloist and has performed with many orchestras including Sinfonieorchester Basel, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Neues Orchester Basel, Orchestra Haydn di Bolzano e Trento,  Virtuosi Italiani, Aargauer Sinfonie Orchester. 

She has performed at the Auditorio Stelio Moro RSI in Lugano and the Tonhalle in Zurich and worked with conductors such as François Benda, Ion Marin, Tito Ceccherini, Kristiina Poska, Marc Kissoczy.

 

After a Masterclass in Gstaad 2017 Ms. Opalio had the honour of being chosen by Sir. Andràs Schiff for the 2019-20 season of his “Building Bridges” concert series, with performances throughout Europe in venues such as “Konzerthaus” in Berlin and “Beethoven Haus” in Bonn.

 

Ms. Opalio has given recitals and open chamber music performances at many important festivals and halls such as the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, Austria, “Beethoven-Haus” in Bonn, Montebello Festiva in Bellinzona, Art Dialog Festival in Biel, Salle Cortot and Polish Library in Paris, Mondsee for Musiktage Mondsee 2015, in Trieste for Società dei Concerti, at Solitär Uni Mozarteum in Salzburg, in Wien at the Wiener Konzerthaus, in Torino for Unione Musicale, in Firenze at Teatro alla Pergola and Festival Internazionale di Musica in Portogruaro.

 

As an active chamber musician Ms. Opalio is the founder and pianist of the “Opalio Quintet”, formed at the Hochschule in Basel.  They are major prize winners at International competitions such as “Ysaye International Competition”, “International Chamber Music Competition” in Pinerolo, Torino, Credit Suisse Jeune Solistes Competition, International Bacewicz Chamber music Competition and Orpheus Competition. They have performed recitals internationally, and have been invited for festivals such as Engadin Festival, Mezzano Romantica (Italy), “Associazione culturale insieme per la musica” in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy) and Adelboden Swiss Chamber Music Festival.  As an Ensemble Opalio Quintet is currently doing a specialised chamber music masters with Anton Kernjak in Basel, and they are ECMA aspirants. 

 

Ms. Opalio also has an official Duo with Irish violinist Eoin Ducrot (Opalio Quintet), with whom she won 1st prize in the HSM Duo-Wettbewerb. They perform concerts regularly around Europe and are often praised for their sensibility and subtlety combined with impeccable togetherness and risk taking flair. They have also been personally invited by Sir András Schiff for the Beethoven festival in Bonn in June 2019.

 

Chiara has performed with renowned musicians including Leonidas Kavakos, Quatuor Terpsycordes, cellist Julia Hagen, cellist Giovanni Gnocchi, singer Silvia Regazzo and pianist Alberto Miodini from  Trio di Parma. 

Chiara has worked with teachers like F. Rados in Vienna,  A. Schiff at the “International  Musicians Seminars” of Prussia Cove (UK) , M. Raekallio, J. Swann, B. Lupo, H. Milne.                                               

 

Ms Opalio has a great passion for helping young musicians and has worked as a teacher at “Fondazione Santa Cecilia” in Portogruaro and as a coach accompanist at “Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth” in Brussels. She is currently coach accompanist for the cello class of Thomas Demenga at the Hochschule in Basel.

 

Born in 1990, Chiara began to play piano at the age of 3 and at the age of 16 she graduated with honours and special mention at the “G. Tartini“ Conservatoire of Trieste.
From the age of 11 until 21 she attended the International Academy “Incontri col Maestro“ of Imola with E. Pace and she also studied with A. Lonquich, A. Ciccolini, A. Lucchesini, Trio Altenberg Wien.

Chiara received top marks at both her Performance Master and Soloist Master at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel under prof. Claudio Martinez Mehner.

 

Chiara is supported in her career by Seymour Obermer Foundation.