The 2026 Premio Bonporti, the 31st edition of the EuregioMusica project and the 14th edition of the Competition for Ensembles on Period Instruments, organized by the Academy of Ancient Music of Rovereto, concluded with a resounding public success and to the jury’s satisfaction.
The Auroras Mestizas ensemble emerged victorious, winning a First Prize that hasn’t been assigned since 2011, a prize that has now been awarded only eight times out of the fourteen editions of the ensemble competition. The group, consisting of six musicians from Peru, Belgium, Greece, Spain, and Portugal, presented thoughtful programmes in both sessions (Chamber and Church) that engagedly combined European composers with unpublished works from South America. Auroras Mestizas also won the Audience Prize, showing the public’s competence and a nice synergy with the Jury. This was presided by Alfredo Bernardini (Mozarteum Salzburg), and consisted of Gloria Banditelli (Italy), Mechthild Karkow (Germany), Romano Vettori (Italy), and Takashi Watanabe (Japan). Of particular interest for the first time at the competition were the performances of vocal music by F.A. Bonporti. Many observers from the international early music scene came to Rovereto this year to follow the competition.
With no second prize awarded, third prize was shared between the ensembles Aura Furiosa and Quarterino.
A very positive outcome for the Premio Bonporti, which since its founding in 1996 has established itself as an international point of reference for young people pursuing a career in the fascinating world of early music. Equally fascinating are the venues which the Prize—uniquely on the international scene—has chosen in order to acoustically and stylistically characterize and contextualize its sessions, divided into “chamber” music (in the splendid Palazzo Alberti Poja) and “church” music in the equally beautiful and little-known church of Santa Maria del Suffragio. Audiences have shown their appreciation by flocking to all of the Bonporti’s events.
