La Chamber Music
The Foundation
The Chamber Music Association – Trieste was established in Duino (Trieste) by notarial deed in November 1995. This formal act marked the creation of a five-member ensamble dedicated to carrying forward the name of the Trio di Trieste, honouring its distinguished legacy, and preserving its refined conception of chamber music through the ongoing organisation of musical events.
The first concrete outcome of these activities was the establishment in Trieste of the INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC COMPETITION “PREMIO TRIO DI TRIESTE”.
After that, the ACM began promoting an increasingly structured concert season, which today includes no fewer than 25 concerts each year. This is complemented by additional concert and outreach activities in Udine, Gorizia, and Trieste, as well as initiatives specifically developed for GO!2025.
The founding group was composed of the following members: Benedetto de Bernard (President), Tullio Corzani (Vice President), Fedra Florit (General Secretary and Treasurer), Vittorio Giammusso and Mario Pines.
In September 2001, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (by Decree no. 0336/Pres.) approved the Statute of the Association and granted legal personality to the Chamber Music Association. We wish to emphasise that ACM is a non-profit organisation with a purely social-promotion purpose and is currently registered as an APS within the RUNTS (National Register of the Third Sector).
For this reason, donations and the 5×1000 tax allocation in favour of ACM may be deducted in income tax returns.
The concert activity, strongly focused on young musicians of proven talent and outstanding résumés, began in 1999 with the series “Poker d’Assi” ( organised jointly with the World Federation of Geneva). Since then, the Association has presented over 620 events attended by over 105,000 spectators.
After “Premiatissimi”, a successful series that ran for eight seasons in several theatres across Friuli Venezia Giulia, the concerts became stably in Trieste from 2005 onward, structured around three key moments of the year.
The Piano Festival “Giovani interpreti & grandi maestri”, launched in 2002, was later joined by two initiatives that received wide acclaim: “Il 18 alle ore 18” at the Government Palace (recorded by RAI 3) and the “Salotto Cameristico” at Teatro Verdi.
In the first case, the venue itself inspired programmes featuring very young performers, in an atmosphere reminiscent of refined Hausmusik; in the second, we hosted young but already established artists, larger ensembles up to chamber orchestras, and renowned soloists alongside emerging groups—developing a project connected to the finest international chamber music tradition.
Until 2019, all activities took place in the Ridotto of Teatro Verdi. From 2020 onward, due to the unavailability of dates at the Ridotto, the concerts and the Competition were moved to Teatro Miela, which was made ideal for chamber music thanks to a Suono Vivo (Padua) wooden acoustic shell, installed with the generous support of Fondazione CRTrieste and through a crowdfunding campaign on the EPPELA platform, to which many ACM members contributed .
To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Competition, the 2019 Chamber Music Season brought back to Trieste several ensembles that had won the award in previous editions:
Trio Mondrian (2007), Duo Sitkovetsky (2011), Josef Suk Piano Quartet (2013), Trio Debussy (1997), Trio Gaon (2017), Duo Lavrynenko – Guliei (2015), Duo Giun – Haruka (2005), Ars Trio (2001). This resulted in an exceptional Season, both for the artistic calibre of the ensembles and for the remarkable audience participation, which had the opportunity to appreciate—after several years—the extraordinary artistic maturity achieved by our winners.
The Piano Festival “Giovani interpreti & grandi Maestri” has long paired emerging talents – such as Italian pianist Alexander Gadjiev, supported by ACM for seven years – with renewed Masters (Lupu, Zimerman, Cohen, Arciuli, Lupo, Virssaladze, Thiollier, Nabioulin, among others), following a well-established concert-educational format. Our concerts have brought to Trieste music professionals, journalists, and a wide audience of enthusiasts from the Region and neighbouring areas, contributing significantly to the city’s cultural standing. In addition, Chamber Music has promoted educational and outreach concerts in Gorizia, Udine and Trieste, aimed at young people and adult beginners, with listening guides and meetings withe the artists.
In 2020, despite the pandemic, we successfully recovered all scheduled concerts, rescheduling the cancelled events in June and September. Only two artists originally programmed had to be replaced, mainly due to international travel restrictions. Activity in 2021 continued under challenging circumstances: reduced venue capacity, delays in renovation works at Teatro Miela, and significant travel difficulties for artists, particularly in the early months of the year. We were often required to replace performers and adjust dates in order to carry out the planned programme.
Nevertheless, the 2021 Season proved highly satisfying, both for its artistic quality and for the strong audience turnout. A total of 28 concerts were presented. Notable performers included: Trio Johannes, Philarmoniches Ensemble Torino, Quartetto Hermes, Trio Boccherini, Emanuele Arciuli with Sonia Bergamasco, Massimo Polidori with Giorgio Pugliaro, Alexander Gadjiev, Severin von Eckardstein, and Benedetto Lupo, alongside promising young musicians such as Erica Piccotti, Leonardo Pierdomenico, pianists Gile Bae and Sebastiano Mesaglio, whose performances further confirmed the value of ACM’s long-standing commitment to supporting artistic growth since 1995. The large and attentive audience remains the most tangible testimony to this achievement.
Our 2022 evening season, titled CROMATISMI, was marked by a strong commitment to fostering dialogue with our audience, while maintaining the accuracy and uncompromising quality that distinguish the musical offerings of Chamber Music – Trieste CHROMATICISM can be explored both through technical means and through musical imagination. Just as a painter works with a brush, one can shape melodic lines, expand the discourse note by note, and allow contrasting lines to coexist—indeed, to play with these contrasts as a way to stimulate creativity. In keeping with our ethical and statutory principles, we aim to offer opportunities above all to young musicians of proven talent and excellent curricula, whether at the beginning of their careers or already on their way, so that the daily technical and mental work they undertake may have a clear purpose and a defined goal. At the same time, we have continued to include established Masters, renowed musicians whose artistry represents a model to emulate, a guiding light along the demanding path toward achieving artistic recognition and financial independence through classical music. In this respect, Italy still has far to go. Continuing several threei-year thematic strands within our programming, we presented works under the themes Looking to the East and Italian Music, focusing on lesser-known and unjustifiably underperformed repertoire.
The year 2023 featured the season CROMATISMI 2.0, which saw a significant increase in audience attendance and membership, both for our evening concerts at Teatro Miela and for the outreach concerts held at the Sartorio Museum and in Sala Luttazzi in the Porto Vecchio district.
With the 2024 Season, titled CROMATISMI 3.0, Chamber Music Trieste continued the artistic path undertaken in the previous two years. The programme was shaped by thematic journeys centred on the rich Viennese tradition and on musical inspiration that unfolds while “Looking East”. Particular attention was devoted to the repertoire for Piano Quintet.
Many internationally renowned artists performed within the resonant acoustic space specially designed by Chamber Music Trieste inside Teatro Miela. Among them, the Alban Berg Ensemble Wien the ensemble that has inherited and contemporised the legacy of the legendary Vienna School and includes the famous Hugo Wolf Quartet. he Season further embraced a wide spectrum of chamber formations—from large ensembles such as the Zagreb Soloists String Orchestra and I Virtuosi Italiani, joined by violinist Teofil Milenkovich – to leading ensembles of the contemporary chamber music scene. These included Luigi Piovano & Friends, Trio Debussy with violist Simone Briatore, Quartetto Noûs with rising piano star Alberto Chines, Archos Quartet with horn soloists Marco Panella and Paolo Valeriani, as well as the “all stars” Quartet Sixe featuring flautist Andrea Oliva, double bassist Anita Mazzantini, pianist Roberto Arosio, percussionist Andrea Santarsiere, and major piano recitals by outstanding artists such as the award-winning Gile Bae, Volodymyr Lavrynenko, and the four-hand piano Duo Biondi – Brunialti. In 2024, ACM also renewed several initiatives warmly received in 2023: Concerts “Talenti Super Green” at the Sartorio Museum (March 2024), the Chamber Music Festival dedicated to the Trio di Trieste in Sala Luttazzi (April 2024), and “Corde in Armonia” concerts at the Sartorio Museum (November 2024). Our Seasons run from January to December and include no fewer than 27 concerts, most of which are part of the subscription series . Some events focusing on contemporary music are presented in collaboration with the “Conservatorio Giuseppe Tartini” and take place in Sala Tartini.
In 2025, we celebrate our 30 YEARS OF ACTIVITY IN MUSIC! It will be a truly significant Concert Season worthy of marking this milestone through music. As always, the programme will feature a substantial number of concerts—now exceeding 32 each year—including performances by the Philharmonische Camerata Berlin, I Virtuosi Italiani, Quartetto Adorno, Roberto Prosseda, Quartetto Guadagnini, Louis Lortie, Paolo Bonimini, Pavel Berman, Prometeo Ensemble, Luigi Carroccia, Erica Piccotti, Massimiliano Ferrati & Winds, and no fewer than seven of ensembles awarded the Premio Trio di Trieste in past editions.
At present, The Chamber Music Association is headquartered in Trieste, Via XXX Ottobre 17.
The Executive Committee is composed of: Maria Luisa Vaccari (President), Luigi Cattin (Vice President), Antonio Fogazzaro (Treasurer), Fabio Chiodo Grandi (General Secretary), Anna Rossi Illy, Gianna Di Danieli and Pietro Serafin.
Over the years, the presidency has been held in succession by Benedetto de Bernard, Tullio Corzani, Vladimiro Dolgan, Mariella De Francesco, and Ettore Campailla.
The Executive Committee which oversees the Association’s initiatives, is supported by the commitment and contributions of ordinary members,, and numerous supporters, in accordance with the Association’s Statute. In full compliance with current regulations, the Annual General Meeting of Members is convened each year to approve the budget forecast and final accounts,, and to confirm or review any external collaborations.
The Artistic Direction is entrusted to Prof. Fedra Florit, concert pianist, former student of the Trio di Trieste, journalist , music critic, and professor of Chamber Music at the Conservatories of Venice, Udine and Trieste.
Fare Musica a Trieste
“Making Music in Trieste: the Chamber Music Association” traces the entire activity of ACM from 1995 to 2007 and was conceived to mark the milestone of the tenth anniversary of the “Premio Trio di Trieste” Competition. The publication brings together participants from all over the world, prize winners, international juries, and the many artists who have performed for ACM throughout the successive concert seasons held in Trieste and the surrounding region.
