Ibla Grand Prize

Ragusa Ibla, a world capital for young talent

For over thirty years, every July, the Baroque district of Ragusa Ibla becomes the stage for the Ibla Grand Prize, one of the longest-running and most prestigious international music competitions in Southern Italy. Established in 1992 and artistically directed by Maestro Salvatore Moltisanti, the event is promoted by the IBLA Foundation of New York and draws young pianists, opera singers, instrumentalists, and composers from dozens of countries to the city of Ragusa, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily.

A competition that becomes a festival

The unique aspect of the Ibla Grand Prize is that the competition does not take place behind closed doors: the contestants' rehearsals and auditions turn into genuine evening concerts, free and open to the public. Every night, from 9 pm to 11 pm, the candidates' music resonates through the streets and squares of Ibla, treating residents and tourists to a week of music scattered among the late Sicilian Baroque palaces, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Concert venues

Performances are spread across five iconic locations in the historic center:

• Piazza Pola, the beating heart of Ibla, featuring the main outdoor stage
• The Church of San Vincenzo Ferreri, with its intimate acoustics
• The refined Teatro Donnafugata
• The Sala Falcone-Borsellino
• The courtyard of Palazzo Ottaviano Bruno

A gateway to the world's great stages

The Ibla Grand Prize does not just hand out awards: winners earn the opportunity to perform in the most prestigious theaters across Europe, Asia, and America. The most anticipated moment is the gala evening held at Carnegie Hall in New York, where the talents selected in Ragusa bring the fruits of their journey to the American stage. As Maestro Moltisanti likes to repeat, the goal of the competition «is not to collect trophies but to open paths», a philosophy that has made Ragusa Ibla a musical crossroads known throughout the world.

Why it's worth attending

Attending the Ibla Grand Prize means experiencing Baroque Sicily in a unique way: the summer evenings in Ragusa are filled with high-quality music, the shows are free, and the architectural setting of Ibla amplifies every emotion. It is the perfect event for lovers of classical music and jazz, as well as for those seeking an authentic cultural experience among the most beautiful streets of the Val di Noto.