FONDAZIONE DEL CENTENARIO (EN)

CENTENARIO FOUNDATION

The Centenario Foundation began in 1973 on the occasion of BSI's first one hundred years. Its scope is to bestow monetary recognition to persons or institutions which have furthered the development of italian-swiss relations, contributed to the betterment of understanding between the Swiss and Italian people or to the expansion of the common cultural heritage.

Past awards

Last award - Press Release

On November 5, the Fondazione del Centenario della Banca della Svizzera Italiana will present the 2009 award to Cecilia Bartoli in recognition of her outstanding performance as an opera singer, innovative interpreter and champion of music. In addition to the award-winner, the ceremony at 6 p.m. in the Aula Magna of the University of Lugano (USI) will feature the lecturers Marco Baggiolini, Chairman of the Foundation, and Sergio Ragni, of the Centro Rossiniano di Studi di Pesaro, who will make a speech in honour of Bartoli.

The Foundation was created in 1973 on the occasion of the Bank's centenary with the aim of promoting the development of relations between Italy and Switzerland, thereby contributing, as it states in the articles of association, "to an increasingly better understanding between the people of the two countries and to the development of their common cultural and linguistic heritage". The Foundation awards internationally renowned people or institutions who have made a contribution to culture in line with the Foundation's aims.
Born in Rome in 1966, Cecilia Bartoli has been one of the most famous opera singers in the world for more than 20 years. She made her international debut at the end of the eighties at the Zürich Opera House and chose to live and work in Switzerland. In Zurich, she has worked successfully with the Orchestra La Scintilla and in 2007 she founded the "Cecilia-Bartoli-Musikstiftung" to promote musical research and studies. Cecilia Bartoli has made a name for herself by rediscovering, studying and performing undeservedly neglected operatic pieces. As a result, she has been acclaimed by a vast community of connoisseurs and fans of classical music and gained renown as a pioneer in re-interpreting the performing methods of the period. An important example is her project "200 years Maria Malibran", which introduced the general public to composers in the bel canto tradition, such as Bellini and Rossini, played on original instruments. The Italo-Swiss connection plays a prominent role in Cecilia Bartoli's work and studies, which the Centenary Foundation is honouring by presenting her with the 2009 award.