The finalists of the sixth edition of the competition organized by the Lelio Luttazzi Foundation, in memory of the great artist from Trieste, will compete by presenting one of their own original compositions and performing one of his pieces.

MILAN – The final of the Premio Lelio Luttazzi returns to Milan: on Friday, October 31, the auditorium of the CPM Music Institute will host the closing event of the sixth edition of the national competition dedicated to young jazz pianist-composers aged 16 to 30. This event pays tribute to the great musician and showman from Trieste, one of the most versatile figures in Italian culture.

Organized by the Fondazione Lelio Luttazzi under the high patronage of the European Parliament and with the patronage of the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Ministry of Culture, SIAE, AGIS, Municipality of Milan, Municipality of Rome (Department of Cultural Growth), Municipality of Trieste, and NuovoImaie, the final will take place in the CPM Auditorium (Centro Professione Musica, Via Reguzzoni 15, Milan).
Free admission subject to seat availability, with mandatory online reservation at:
Eventbrite – Finale Premio Lelio Luttazzi

Each finalist will perform one original composition and, as a tribute to Maestro Luttazzi, a piece from his repertoire.
The winner will receive a €1,000 scholarship, and their original piece will be recorded by the Foundation and distributed on digital platforms by Blue Serge Records, the label run by Sergio Cossu.

The final will open with a performance by the Jazz Company, a sextet directed by Gabriele Comeglio (artistic director of the Award), featuring the voice of Caterina Comeglio. Some of the orchestrations of Luttazzi’s songs were arranged by students from the CPM arranging course taught by Maestro Comeglio.
After the competitors’ performances, the jury—composed of Mario Rusca (president, a leading figure of Italian jazz), Claudio Angeleri (pianist and composer), and Luca Nobis (Educational Director of CPM)—will select the winner.
During the jury’s deliberation, a representative of the European Parliament will present youth-focused cultural programs.
The evening will conclude with the awards ceremony and a collective jam session on Luttazzi’s Drums Blues.

A reluctant yet beloved showman, a pianist by vocation, a meticulous composer, and a crooner of unmistakable elegance, Lelio Luttazzi was one of the pioneers of Italian jazz alongside Gorni Kramer and Franco Cerri.
The author of timeless songs such as Il giovanotto matto, Una zebra a pois, Vecchia America, and Chiedimi tutto, he gracefully moved between cinema, radio, and television with refined lightness and unique irony.

Rossana Luttazzi, the Maestro’s wife and president of the Foundation (founded in 2010 to promote culture, education, and musical training), explains:

“The Award is a tribute to Lelio and was created to discover and support new talents in Italian music, particularly young jazz pianist-composers. Over the years, many young musicians have enthusiastically taken part, and several winners—Manuel Magrini, Danilo Tarso, Seby Burgio, Thomas Umbaca, and Vittorio Esposito—are now among the leading figures of the national jazz scene.”

Gabriele Comeglio adds:

“Luttazzi’s career began right here in Milan, in 1948, when Teddy Reno appointed him as artistic director of the newly founded CGD. Today, we are bringing the Award back to Milan, hosted by the prestigious CPM, founded by Franco Mussida—a school that combines tradition and innovation and shares our values: offering real opportunities to young musicians in the name of a great figure of Italian music like Lelio Luttazzi.”