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International Clarinet Festival Portus Naonis 2026

International Clarinet Festival Portus Naonis 2026: talent, competitions and audiences for a festival on the rise

The International Clarinet Festival“Portus Naonis”  drew to a close on Sunday 7th June in Pordenone on a very positive note, confirming the event’s growth in terms of both attendance and artistic quality. The festival attracted over 300 clarinettists from Italy and abroad, filling the concert halls and featuring numerous specialist ensembles and choirs.

One of the highlights was the final of the Soloists’ Competition, which saw the young Frenchman Baptiste Amet (born in 2011) crowned the winner from among 30 semi-finalists from all over the world. Amet received the €4.000 prize, finishing ahead of the Lithuanian Gustas Leskaukas and the Italian Matteo Midali (Pavia). For the first time, the jury also awarded an honourable mention to the French performer Laure Paris. The jury was chaired by Sabine Meyer, Nino Pinto and Vincenzo Paci.

In the second International Composition Competition for Clarinet Choirs, the panel comprising Michele Mangani and Oscar Navarro awarded prizes to two works: the English composer Luca Newman for “Fantasia for Clarinet Choir” and the Spanish composer David Cuevas Sanchez for “Passeggiando per Granada”.

The first edition of the “SiNota Clarinet Junior Competition” was also a great success, with two categories (up to 13 years old and 14 to 17 years old). In the under-13 section, the winner was Ben Katsenelbogen from Israel, followed by the Italians Francesco Biscuolo and Ilaria Biasutti. In the 14–17 age category, first place went to Diniz Rezende from Portugal, ahead of Brina Kristina Brezan from Slovenia and Giorgia Olivari from Italy.

The Festival featured 10 Italian clarinet choirs and 2 prominent international ensembles: the Evora Clarinet Choir (Portugal) and the British Clarinet Ensemble (England). All the concerts attracted excellent audiences.

The organisers wished to extend a special thank you to the volunteers, the “Note”, and the administrative staff for their daily commitment to running the event, as well as to the sponsors and partners who made the festival possible. In terms of hospitality, 137 guests, including jury members, musicians, competitors and choirs, were accommodated, totalling 172 overnight stays in partner hotels; these were joined by exhibitors, enthusiasts and family members, contributing to the event’s increasingly international scope.

Among the most significant moments was the premiere of the concert written and conducted by Michele Mangani, performed by the Pordenone Chamber Orchestra and recorded on Saturday evening at the Capitol: a sign of the Festival’s progressive artistic growth ahead of the next edition, which promises new ambitions to mark Pordenone’s year as Capital of Culture.

Source: pordenoneoggi.it
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