Francesco Lotoro wins the ROTONDI AWARD for rescued art

Francesco Lotoro - Image by ILMC Foundation

On June 10, 2023, at 4:00 PM , the 25th edition of the Rotondi Prize, dedicated to the saviors of art, will be held at the Municipal Auditorium in Sassocorvaro Auditore (Pesaro-Urbino). Among the honorees is the Apulian pianist, composer, and conductor Francesco Lotoro, who will be awarded the ROTONDI - EUROPE PRIZE for his long-standing commitment to saving music written in concentration camps around the world. In over 30 years of research, Lotoro, a native of Barletta, has collected thousands of musical scores and volumes on concentration camp music. These materials are now in the Library and Media Library of the Fondazione Istituto di Letteratura Musicale Concentrazionaria , which will be housed in the Cittadella della Musica Concentrazionaria, soon to be built on the site of the former Barletta Distillery. The awards ceremony will be preceded on June 9th at 9:15 pm by the meeting "The Man Who Returns to Give Voice to Music in the Concentration Camps," which will be held in Carpegna (Pesaro-Urbino) at the Palazzo dei Principi . The meeting will also feature poet and writer Roberto Malini (2018 Rotondi Patronage Award winner). Fabio Fraternali will host the event; journalist Salvatore Giannella and Giovanna Rotondi Terminiello , president of the Rotondi Award, will also participate.

"I am deeply grateful to the organizers of the Rotondi Prize ," stated Francesco Lotoro , " for this recognition, of which I want to prove myself worthy. For years, I have conceived this research as a highly pluralistic one, so I feel compelled to share everything that is recognized for my research with all those who are so supportive. It is a collective project, and for this reason I feel compelled to thank the Institute of Concentrationary Music Literature and all those who, in one way or another, are working hard to achieve the coveted goal of giving this musical literature a definitive historical framework, an encyclopedia, and a home, namely the Citadel of Concentrationary Music that will be built in Barletta."

The award, founded in 1997 by journalist and writer Salvatore Giannella, is named after Pasquale Rotondi (Arpino 1909 – Rome 1991) , Superintendent of Urbino who coordinated the rescue operation of the principal masterpieces of Italian art (7,821 pieces, including those from the Marche region, according to the recent final count conducted by historian Anna Melograni) in the Montefeltro region of the Marche region during the Second World War. Divided into various sections, the Prize is awarded annually to individuals who have distinguished themselves through "exemplary actions in the rescue of artistic heritage."

Winners of the 2023 ROTONDI AWARD - 25th Edition (watch the following video):

WORLD Section - Ihorn KOZHAN

EUROPE Section - Francesco LOTORO

ITALY Section - Jacopo TABOLLI

MARCHE Award - Floriano BIAGI

Patronage Award - Mario SCAGLIA

COMMUNICATION Award - Paolo CONTI

The Art That Saves Award - Franco SIGNORETTI

CIVIL PROTECTION Award - Marica MERCALLI