Emma Contestabile

Emma Contestabile was born in 1928 in Bologna, Italy. She studied at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome with Alfredo Casella and Carlo Zecchi, and in Salzburg with Edwin Fischer. She performed widely throughout the world and held a number of teaching posts in Italy, including professor of piano at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia. The Chigiana Academy in Siena awards Scholarships funded by Emma Contestabile’s bequest to the Accademia Chigiana, to be allocated in order to launch the best students in their profession. Among the winners of this prestigious prize have been Oscar-winning composer Luis Bacalov, guitarist Oscar Ghiglia, conductor Otto Tausk, composer/producer Gary Marlowe, and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset. Well-known for her insightful interpretations of Haydn’s works, Contestabile also often included early Italian keyboard works as part of her concert programmes.