by SIMONA BARBERA

In Finale Ligure, music is never just background noise. It is a lively and widespread presence that accompanies the city throughout the year and which, in the winter months, perhaps finds its most authentic dimension. When the pace slows down and places become more intimate, music becomes a common language, capable of uniting different people, spaces, and sensibilities.

This vision gave rise to the Casa della Musica, a project that brings together some of the main musical entities in the area, united by the desire to promote culture in a continuous, open, and accessible way. This is not a one-off event, but a collective effort that presents Finale as a city that chooses music as an integral part of its identity.

The associations involved operate in different but complementary fields: from training to cultural production, from promoting young talent to dialogue with national and international artists. Together, they build a rich and varied musical landscape that spans genres, languages, and places.

APS Cultural Music Association – Ateneum Piano School

For eight years, the Ateneum Piano School has been a point of reference for music education in the Finale area, with teaching activities covering all levels, from amateur to professional. Individual lessons, structured around personalized programs and in line with conservatory courses, are held throughout the year in classrooms equipped with high-quality pianos.

Alongside teaching, Ateneum promotes an intense concert activity that transforms study into a shared experience. The Pianisticamente Ateneum 2025/26 season offers fifteen high-level piano concerts in evocative locations throughout the area, strengthening the link between music and the enhancement of cultural spaces.

Among the winter events, the seventh edition of the YAPCO Piano Competition – Young Artists Piano Competition stands out, which took place in the first half of December 2025 at the De Stefanis Auditorium. The competition, dedicated to young pianists under the age of 18 from all over the world, featured a recital by internationally renowned musician Maurizio Baglini, with a program spanning Chopin, Bowie, and Mussorgsky. The new year opens on January 3, 2026, with “2026… notes of a new beginning”, a piano recital by Paola Arras, founder of the association.

Finale Ligure Concert Society ETS

The Finale Ligure Concert Society ETS is a historic presence in the cultural life of the town, promoting classical music, opera, and jazz through concerts and live performances. Its activities take place mainly in Finale Ligure, in venues such as the Santa Caterina Auditorium, but also extend beyond the town’s boundaries.

In addition to concerts, the association organizes educational and informative events, such as conferences with auditions organized in collaboration with the Music Section of the Finale Ligure Media Library. Among the events scheduled for winter 2025/26 are the Pomeriggi Musicali (Musical Afternoons), a series of diverse listening experiences: on November 29, the piano recital Il Pianoforte: Classicismo e Romanticismo (The Piano: Classicism and Romanticism); on December 6, dances and soundtracks performed by the SE.GO.VIO quartet; and on December 21, a major event dedicated to jazz: “TroveRemo, alla ricerca di ciò che non esiste” (TroveRemo, in search of what does not exist), with Gianluigi Trovesi, who returns to Finale after 30 years, and cellist Marco Remondini, known for his experiments in jazz, electronic, and contemporary music. The duo presents their latest album, offering a musical journey through jazz, classical music, popular culture, myth, rock, and electronic music, for an immersive and intense experience.

Palma d’Oro International Piano Competition

One of the most prestigious events is the Palma d’Oro International Piano Competition, a historic event dating back to the mid-1970s that attracts young pianists from all over the world. The competition takes place between the end of August and the beginning of September, consisting of a week of music with rehearsals, selections, concerts, and final evenings open to the public.

The performances are held in symbolic locations around the city, such as the Auditorium and the Cloisters of Santa Caterina, transforming the historic center into a widespread stage. Alongside the competition, the Palma d’Oro offers side concerts and opportunities for further exploration, providing the public with a complete and high-level musical experience.

Accademia Musicale del Finale APS

The Accademia Musicale del Finale APS plays a fundamental role in promoting music throughout the year, offering both educational and cultural activities. In addition to courses, the Academy organizes a program of events that accompanies the city throughout the seasons. Summer concerts in cloisters and squares, themed festivals, and winter and Christmas events involve students, teachers, and guest musicians, creating opportunities for different generations to meet and making music an integral part of city life.

During the Christmas period, the Academy offers significant events: on Saturday, December 20, 2025, the Church of Santa Maria di Finalpia will host “Winter Songs,” a Christmas concert with musicians and students, while on Saturday, December 30, 2025, the Basilica of San Biagio in Finalborgo will become the stage for a New Year’s Eve concert that brings together the BRG Orchestra, the Academy’s Polyphonic Choir, and the Ateneum Piano School, offering a choral and shared experience.

E20 Cultural Association – Finale Music Festival

Alongside classical music and training, Finale Ligure hosts more contemporary events thanks to the E20 Cultural Association, promoter of the Finale Music Festival, a musical project that goes beyond a simple summer festival and roots music in the cultural life of the city throughout the year.

The Summer Edition 2025, in August, enlivened Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II with prominent artists: from the historic PFM to the “Doppia Traccia” tour, to the energy of La Crus, from Grido to the Rockets, to the Gipsy Kings by Diego Baliardo, transforming the heart of the city into a vibrant stage of sounds and participation.

The festival is not limited to summer: it includes events throughout the year, such as the Finale Music Festival Castelfranco, dedicated to emerging music, and the Winter Edition, designed for the holidays, which on December 15, 2025 featured Pierò Pelù at the Auditorium De Stefanis, while on December 23 will feature Isabella Del Fagio, a singer-songwriter from Faenza produced by MEI, together with the well-known writer Bruno Gambarotta. The association thus contributes to consolidating Finale Ligure as a meeting place for genres, generations, and moments of shared listening.

A city that chooses to listen

During the winter, this shared work takes shape in a series of events that span genres, languages, and places. Churches, abbeys, and basilicas become spaces for intimate listening; auditoriums host concerts that engage directly with the audience; villages and neighborhoods come alive with sounds that intertwine with history and architecture. Every place finds its music, and every music finds its place.

The strength of the Casa della Musica lies precisely here: in its ability to create experiences that go beyond the individual event. Music becomes an opportunity to meet, a moment of sharing, a chance for deep listening. It doesn’t matter if you are an expert or an enthusiast: the invitation is open, inclusive, designed for those who live in Finale every day and for those who choose it as their destination even in winter.