Melania De Nichilo Rizzoli, born on 31 May 1956 in Rome, graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’ in 1980, specialising in Internal Medicine at the same university in 1985. During her work as a surgeon, she has long dealt with oncology and metabolic diseases. A Member of Parliament from 2008 to 2013, she was a member of the Social Affairs Commission. From March 2009 to March 2013, she was a member of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into errors in healthcare and the causes of regional health deficits. In the 11th Legislature she was appointed, in the Lombardy Region, by President Attilio Fontana, Councillor for Education, Training and Employment. Vice-President of the Regional Council from 12 January 2023 to 1 March 2023. Author and writer of four highly successful books on medical and social issues. For over ten years she has written regularly in the daily newspaper Libero where she signs articles of medical information and scientific popularisation.

She was born into a family of patrons who loved art and music, starting with her grandfather Wolframo Pierangeli, President of the Rossini Foundation, her mother Paola, President of the Friends of the Rossini Opera Festival, and her aunt Milena, collector and fellow traveller of the most important Italian artists of the 20th century. This has led her over the years to forge close relationships with some of the leading figures in the world of art and music, and to gain significant experience in devising cultural fund-raising projects and charity events for numerous institutions. For the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia he realised Arte e Musica per Santa Cecilia, a private fund raising project that saw artists and musicians such as: Uto Ughi and Enrico Castellani, Fabio Vacchi and Giulio Paolini, Giovanni Sollima and Michelangelo Pistoletto. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Rossini Opera Festival, the Board of Directors of Agenda Sant'Egidio, the Executive Committee of the Italian Forum of Philanthropy at the Vatican Museums and the Advisory Board of TEDXRoma. She was a lecturer in Audience Development at the University of Urbino and a consultant for the Master ‘Music and Management’ at the Luiss Business School.

Sir Antonio Pappano, one of today’s most sought-after conductors, is Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and was Music Director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden from 2002 to 2024. He is also Music Director Emeritus of the Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Pappano has held key positions with the Norwegian Opera, Théatre Royal de la Monnaie (Brussels), and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He is in high demand internationally, having conducted at the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna and Berlin State Operas, and the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals. As a guest conductor, he has worked with many prestigious orchestras, including the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and the New York, Chicago, and Boston Symphonies. Pappano has a strong relationship with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and has been an exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics since 1995. His accolades includes Gramophone’s Artist of the Year (2000), the 2003 Olivier Award, the 2004 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award, and the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal (2015). Knighted in 2012, Pappano was born in London to Italian parents and moved to the U.S. at 13.

Born in 1958 to a family originating from Genoa in the 13th century, Albert-Alexandre-Louis-Pierre Grimaldi has been Prince of Monaco since his father, Prince Rainier III, died on 6 April 2005.

He has been Knight Grand Cross decorated with Grand Cordon of the Italian Republic since his official visit to Italian President Carlo Ciampi, just a few months after his accession on 13 December 2005.

(photo©Gaetan Luci/Palais princier)

Born to a family of entrepreneurs, she has long-standing experience in the financial and cultural entrepreneurial field, both in Italy and abroad. She became Vice President and then President of the Memmo Foundation which collaborates with the most important museums in the world. She has become President of the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, founding member of the Teatro dell’Opera, member of the Board of Directors of San Patrignano, member of the Patronage of the Amigos Museo del Prado Foundation and Member of Christie’s European Advisory Board. She is a member of the Honour Committee des Amis of the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco and was awarded the Order of Saint Charles by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco.

She graduated in the piano at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, with Maestro Bruno Canino, and dedicated herself to landscape conservation, acting as president of the Versilia Villa Authority which protects the architecture and nature of the historic area. She is a founding member of the Milano per la Scala organisation and was awarded the “Premio Montblanc de la Culture” for the masterclasses at Villa Medici Giulini. She is a member of the Permanent Committee for the Maison d’Italie in Paris and is the sole administrator of Villa Medici Giulini, the historic residence in which a collection of ancient instruments is located. These instruments are unique in that they have been restored with philological criteria and are therefore able to be played in concerts, giving the public the opportunity to hear the original sound of the instruments of the same manufacturers on which the composers of the past created their masterpieces. She has edited the publication of a series of books dedicated to the instrument collection, firstly the catalogue In Search of Lost Sounds, and is continuing her editorial work by expanding the “Art and Music” series with a set of books dedicated to works of art that represent the various themes of her eclectic collection. The music is performed to the public at events that take place in the property’s Little Theatre which has 100 seats. The Little Theatre recreates the atmosphere of historic theatres, but looks to the future by making use of technology that highlights the value of music.
 

My name is Irène Cantacuzène and I am very happy to become an Ambassador for the Premio Paganini prize. I have lived abroad for many years; in the United States, France, Switzerland and now in Italy, in Rome. I have had the opportunity along with my family to take an interest in music and to be part of Friends of the Met, the Opera and the Châtelet in Paris, as well as the Salzburg Easter Festival. Giovanni Panebianco’s initiative is fantastic. It will allow talented young musicians to be recognised and rewarded. I would also like to thank the Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci, as well as the Italian Ambassador to France, Her Excellency Emanuela d’Alessandro, for allowing us to enjoy her magnificent home.
 

He is a French art historian specialized in architecture and the Decorative Arts. As an author, he contributed towards the production of –"Great Private Collections of Imperial Russia" (The Vendôme Press, New York), –" The Summer Palaces of the Romanovs – Treasures from Tsarskoye Selo ", (Thames & Hudson, London), and "Saint-Pétersbourg", a major reference book on the city and its palaces' general history and architecture (Citadelles & Mazenod, Paris). 
He was trained to sing as a soloist (first soprano and then bass) in the choir of the Paris Jesuit school. 
As an art historian, he gives lectures on Russian, French and Garden subjects in Europe and the United States.
 

Robert Allegrini is the President of the Washington D.C. based National Italian American Foundation, the nation's premiere organization dedicated to preserving, protecting, and promoting Italian American heritage. In addition, Allegrini is a public relations & travel executive, author, civic leader, and diplomat. In 2016 he was named one of 25 extraordinary minds in hospitality marketing by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. In 2005 Allegrini authored the book, “Chicago’s Grand Hotels” which subsequently was made into a documentary aired on the CBS. The book and the documentary were recognized when Allegrini was presented with the Governor’s Award for the Best Public Relations Campaign at the 2007 Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism. From 1987 to 1990 Allegrini served as Executive Director of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, he founded the Chicago chapter of the Academia Italiana Della Cucina, served for three years as President of the Italian American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest and for more than a decade as a member of board of directors of the National Italian American Foundation.  Currently, Allegrini is the Honorary Consul for the Republic of San Marino in a 5-state jurisdiction. Allegrini’s services to the Italian American community have been recognized both by Italy’s former royal family, the House of Savoy, which made him a Cavaliere (Knight) in 1991 and by the Republic of Italy which made him a Commendatore (Knight Commander) in the Order of Merit in 2002.

Don Carlos Zurita, Duke of Soria and Duke of Hernani, doctor of Medicine with "extraordinary award", he practised as Profesor Jefe de Servicio del Instituto de Cardiología de Madrid. He is an Honorary Academician of the Real Academia Nacional de Medicina and correspondent of the Reales Academias de Medicina de Oviedo, Granada and Valladolid, the Real Academia de Ciencias, Bellas Letras y Nobles Artes de Córdoba and the Real Academia de Artes y Ciencias de Antequera. He is president of the Fundación Amigos del Museo del Prado, honorary president of the Federación Española de Amigos de los Museos, honorary member of the Asociación Internacional de Hispanistas, member of the Junta del Patronato del Real Colegio de España en Bolonia representing H.M. el Rey and member of the Advisory Council of the Bolonia Center of JohnsHopkins University. Member of the jury of the Rey Jaime I Awards for Clínic Medicine. Together with H.R.H. the Infanta Margarita, he is President of Honour of the Fundación Duques de Soria, the city of which they are adopted children. He has been awarded the Montblanc Prize for Patronage of the Arts, the Sorolla Medal of the Hispanic Society, the Medal of Honour of the Colegio de Registradores de España and has been awarded the Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Sabio.

Strongly empathic towards the new generations, she is involved in the boards of directors of international philanthropic organisations aimed at promoting and educating the new generations such as Junior Achievement Europe, of which she is Vice President, WAFF (London and New York), Thomas School Foundation (London), of which she is Trustee, Cometa (Como), Fondazione Lelio e Lisli Basso. Her professional curriculum boasts, after a degree in Economics from the Sapienza University of Rome and post-graduate studies in the USA (UCLA University of California), London (Financial Times) and Insead (Fontainebleau), companies such as American Express, Chase Manhattan Bank (Milan and London) , Dewe Rogerson (London), Alleanza Assicurazioni. 
She was an advisor to the then Treasury Minister Mario Draghi for financial communication on privatisations (Telecom Italia, Eni, Bnl, etc.). In the last ten years she has been an independent advisor on company boards in Italy and Europe and has been investing in start-ups as an angel investor since 2012. Married, she has two children and lives in London.

Born in Naples on 10 June 1959, Inigo Lambertini graduated in Law with top marks from the University of Naples Federico II. In 1987, he joined the Italian Diplomatic Service, beginning his career at the Directorate General for Economic Affairs. He has held significant posts in several countries, including Deputy Head of Mission in Kinshasa and First Secretary in Brazil. He coordinated COREPER and, in 1999, became Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union. He also worked as Head of the US Congressional Relations Office and Deputy Permanent Representative to the OECD. In 2014 he returned to the United States as Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations and chaired the Security Council in 2017. returned to Rome as Head of the Diplomatic Ceremonial of the Republic, since 2022 he has been Ambassador of Italy to the United Kingdom and Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organisation. He is the recipient of numerous honours, including Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia, and Cavaliere di Grazia Magistrale dell'Ordine Sovrano Militare di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta.

Born in Geneva into the ancient Aga Khan family, he is the younger brother of Aga Khan IV. Son of Prince Ali Khan, he graduated from Harvard.
He continued his studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston before working at the United Nations.
Since 2006, he has been Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) and Chairman of the Board of the Aga Khan Museum.
He was, in various capacities, a member of the Louvre’s Acquisitions committee, a trustee of the World Monuments fund and Director of the Silk Road Project.

Born in Normandy, he studied philosophy and art history at the Universities of Caen, Nanterre, la Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre in Paris.
A former Focillon Fellow at Yale University, Kress Fellow at CASVA in Washington DC, and Curatorial Getty Fellow at the Getty Research Centre in Los Angeles, he directs the Musèe Girodet in France, the Château and the Blois Museum. A 19th century specialist, he is curator of numerous exhibitions in Europe and the United States.

Descendant of an ancient Genoese family, he boasts a long experience in the business and financial field, in Italy and abroad. He is ambassador of Genoa in the world, Councillor of the Fabbriceria of the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta in Carignano, member of international associations such as Bibliophiles François and Association Internationale de Bibliophilie. A music lover and collector, he is involved in supporting institutions operating in the world of contemporary art, such as the Castello di Rivoli.

Descended from an old Genoese family, of which the Villa Croce is famous, she lived and worked in several European capitals after her studies in England. Married to Rinaldo Piaggio with whom she had a daughter, after an intense entrepreneurial experience she chooses to devote herself to culture and philanthropism. A collector and patron of the arts, she supports charitable and benevolent associations and initiatives related to important cultural institutions, such as the Prado Museum in Madrid.

After graduating with honours in 1984 in Political Science, specialising in international affairs, from 'LUISS' University in Rome, she entered the diplomatic career in 1987. In 2008, she was appointed Director of the Diplomatic Institute, the first woman to head the Foreign Ministry's training school. In 2015, after serving as Italian Ambassador in Zagreb, she was appointed Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Republic, the first woman to hold this position. From 10 October 2022, she is Ambassador of Italy to France.

Former President of the Equal Opportunities Committee of the Farnesina, for her assiduous commitment in favour of women, in Italy and abroad, she was awarded the Minerva Prize "To International Relations" and in 2016 she received the "Mela d'Oro" from the Marisa Bellisario Foundation.

Tourism and trade entrepreneur, Honorary Consul of South Africa in Genoa (2003-2019), since 2018 Ambassador of Genoa in the World. In 2022, on the occasion of the 240th anniversary of the great violinist's birth, he was appointed Paganini Ambassador.Former President of ASD Genovese Boccadasse (2018-2022), since 2022 he has chaired the Istituto del Nastro Azzurro and the Associazione Nazionale Volontari di Guerra di Genova. In 2024, he was elected President of the Rovereto Section of the Associazione Nazionale Carabinieri(ANC), and appointed Kenya National Paralympic Committee (K.N.P.C.) Goodwill Ambassador.  Honorary member of Netaji Research Bureau, and INTACH West Bengal & Calcutta Regional Chapters, he is WUSME Ambassador in Monaco. A past president of the Lions Club Genova Albaro and a Melvin Jones Fellow (MJF), he is an associate of the Economic Society of Chiavari and a member of numerous Italian and foreign associations with prominent roles. Son of the great violinist Renato De Barbieri, he passes on and keeps alive his father’s work so closely linked to that of Paganini and the Premio, which he helped to found.

Born in Pisa where she graduated in Political Science. She moved to Genoa and took part in the city’s problems with a civic spirit; she immediately took an active interest in Genoa’s cultural reality; she has followed the Premio Paganini with passion since 1981. She currently holds the position of CEO of DEREF S.p.A., as well as of the Social Promotion Association GenovaFa. She has been Vice President of the Clotilde Cancer Therapy Fund since 1981; a member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Genova Ovest.

A journalist and politician, former Vice President and Editorial Director of Fininvest Comunicazioni, he has been Undersecretary of State to the Prime Minister's Office several times. Awarded the honours of Knight of the Grand Cross, Knight of the Legion of Honour and Knight of the Order Piano. His commitment in the cultural and social field is well known, widely recognized both in Italy and abroad. He currently chairs the Civita Association.

Born in Turin, Italy, Livermore is a director, a singer, a set costume and lighting designer, a choreographer, a screenwriter, an actor and a teacher.

Artistic director of Teatro Baretti in Turin for a long time, he is currently director of Teatro Nazionale in Genoa, Italy.

Read more...

Entrepreneur, sports executive, CONI president and individual member of the International Olympic Committee. He currently chairs the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation; he is also a member of the Olympic Program Commission and the Los Angeles 2028 Coordination Commission. Member of the Jury of the Guido Carli Foundation, of the Advisory Board of Agenda Sant'Egidio, Honorary Member and Board Member of AIL and Board Member of UNICEF Italy. Awarded the Stella D'Oro al Merito Sportivo. A collector and patron, he has always supported young people and the world of culture and art.

Born in Genoa on 15 January 1958, he studied from the Liceo Classico A. D'Oria and graduated in Law at the University of Genoa with the highest grade. 

He is President and Partner of the Law and Tax Firm "GDP in alliance with Troutman Pepper", with offices in Rome, Milan and Genoa, and a lawyer entitled to plead at the Higher Jurisdictions.

He has held numerous public and private positions and has developed deep expertise in corporate management, public services and compliance. Its activities focus on corporate, contract, banking and bankruptcy law.

Currently, among other things, he is President of Fondazione Carige and President of ODV of Eni Rewind and Eni Global Energy Markets.

Descended of an ancient Genoese family, he has cultivated a passion for music since he was a child. He began studying the piano when he was only 6 years old. He attended the Germanic School of Genoa and later the German college. He has a long experience in the music and recording sector, as well as in the publishing sector, publishing numerous records and books, in Italy and abroad. He plays and composes, collaborating with artists and musicians on the international scene. In addition to working in the real estate and wine sector, he is involved in social work as president of a charitable foundation.

Niccolò Paganini, a direct descendant of the musician of the same name, studied violin, composition and choir conducting at the Conservatory of Music in Parma. He obtained a degree in Modern Literature with a musicological focus at the University of Parma and a postgraduate degree in Musicology at the University of Pavia. Expert connoisseur of Paganini, he has been repeatedly invited to give lectures and interviews. He collaborates with a German production company Provobis for the making of a documentary on the life of the Genoese genius. He has published as co-author the book “Niccolò Paganini, notes of a life over the top”. He was President of the cultural association "Niccolò Paganini-Parma" and is an honorary member of the "Amici di Paganini" association of Genoa. From 2020 he directs the children's choir of the Corale Verdi of Parma and, from 2022, also the youth choir.

Descendant of one of the oldest families of the Genoese nobility, from 1980 to 2024 he was Honorary Consul General of the Principality of Monaco in Genoa, Savona and La Spezia. Member of the Dean of the Consular Corps of Genoa, Commendatore of the Order of the Grimaldis, Knight of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Most Illustrious Knight of the Constantinian Order of Saint George and Benemerito of the Ligurian Academy of Sciences and Letters. In 2019 he set up the Pallavicino ETS Foundation with the aim of preserving and continuing the memory of the Pallavicino family, one of the oldest and most eminent feudal families in northern Italy.

He is a founding member of the Genoa section of IDEA- Institute for Research and Prevention of Anxiety and Depression- of which he is actively involved in his role as Honorary President.

Born in 1956 into a historic Genoese family of industrialists, distinguished in the publishing sector, he is president of the young "Friends of Genoa" Foundation which aims to restore Genoa's role as a protagonist in international trade, which it historically deserves, through restorations, the promotion of cultural events of international scope, initiatives for training youth, and the promotion of technological innovation.

o restore to Genoa its leading role in international exchanges, which historically, through restorations, promotion of cultural events of international scope, initiatives for the training of young people, promotion of technological innovation.

Performer and teacher, he began studying the piano at a very young age. He graduated with honors with Maestro Passaglia and gradually established himself in piano competitions in Italy and abroad. Former holder of the main piano chair at the “Niccolò Paganini” in Genoa, since 1985 he has collaborated as official pianist of the Paganini Prize.

Archaeologist and anthropologist at the United Nations, she is an international expert in the documentation, conservation and management of cultural and natural heritage at institutions such as the Council of Europe, the European Commission, UNESCO and FAO. She directed the Latin America and Caribbean Unit of the UNESCO World Heritage Center and coordinated important projects for registration on the related List. In 2013 she was appointed Director and Representative of UNESCO in Mexico. As Project Manager and Curator, she developed, on behalf of the UNESCO Director General, the Special Action Plan for the Art Collection at the Paris office. A great lover of music, she has over 50 scientific publications to her credit.he.

Descendant of the Royal House of Savoy, he was born in Florence on 13 October 1967 After attending the naval military school 'Francesco Morosini' in Venice, he began a brilliant career that led him to important managerial positions. In 2000 he was General Manager of Pirelli and in 2013 CEO/Managing Director of Pirelli Tyre for the Russian Region and the Nordic Countries. He has always been involved in promoting charitable initiatives around the world and supports initiatives in the social and cultural-historical field.

He was born in Japan in the ancient Fujiwara family, dating back to the 7th century. After his university studies in Japan, Spain and Italy (Milan) he works as a journalist for Yomiuri Shinbun in the classical music sector. He promotes and organises concerts in Japan by renowned pianists such as Crystian Zimerman, Evgeny Kissin, Lazar Berman, Andrea Schiff and Michele Campanella. Also in Japan, he organizes a series of symphonic concerts with the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti, the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky and the Toscanini Orchestra conducted by Lorin Maazel. He works as a producer, collaborating with internationally renowned artists such as Antonio Gades, Astor Piazzola, Paco de Lucia, Bob Wilson and Peter Greenaway.