Cremona Musica takes place this month. This international exhibition is widely considered to be the largest marketplace in the world for fine quality musical instruments. Last year the show attracted over 17,000 visitors and included over 300 exhibitors from 30 different countries.
The northern Italian city of Cremona is steeped in musical history, which dates back to the 12th century. In the 16th century, it became renowned for musical instrument manufacture and was the home of the Stradavarius violin. Various festivals and music-related events have today made it a world-famous heritage destination.
Almost 200 artistic and cultural events take place over the course of the show. These include concerts, masterclasses, presentations, workshops and various historical exhibitions.
Cremona Musica is really five music fairs in one. These cover strings, pianos, guitars, wind instruments, and music publishing. We will concern ourselves with the part of the show entitled, “The Piano Experience”.
The Piano Experience
This is billed as the one and only trade fair exclusively dedicated to the piano world. It has evolved in partnership with AIARP (Italian Association of Piano Tuners and Repairers), in conjunction with the leading piano manufacturers, music institutions, and conservatoires. Here the piano community (instrument makers, distributors, buyers, and musicians) can exchange ideas and both update and forge new business links.
Many of the major piano brands will be here, either in their own right or under the flag of their Italian distributor.
The convention will include concerts featuring some of the world’s top professional pianists. They will be showcasing Bösendorfer, Fazioli, Petrof, Steingraeber, Steinway, and Yamaha pianos (amongst others).
The Italian Piano Experience
In addition to the presence of various piano luminaries, there will be a display of ancient pianos and keyboard instruments. These will include replicas of the 1726 Cristofori and 1789 Anton Walter pianos. The organisers also hope to stage a couple of seminars on the evolution and history of keyboard instruments.
This part of the show goes under the banner of “The Italian Piano Experience”, and first appeared at the Beijing Music Fair earlier this year. This project, conceived by Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda, celebrates the history and evolution of the Italian piano industry from the 17th century to the present day.
Cremona Musica runs from Friday 28th to Sunday 30th September 2018. A list of events is available on the organiser’s website, with more to be confirmed over the next few days.
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Hi David, thanks for this. I was just wondering what about alternatively sized piano keyboards such as the Donison-Steinbuhler DS5.5™ and DS6.0™ ? Will there be any particular piano manufacturer, especially any of the big names, displaying their wares as such? If so, I hope you will cover this as small-hands pianists like myself hope to see such modified keyboard sizes offered by these big manufacturers. Thanks for reading. Hope to hear your views. #PASK
Hello, how can I get to Cremona Musica International exhibitions?
Where exactly will it be? Which country?
It appears to be such a fascinating event but I cannot find the further info on the website.
Thank you
Nataliya, a concert pianist