Zecchino d'Oro (; meaning "
Gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
en
Sequin") is an annual Italian competition dedicated to
children's music established in 1959 by
Niny Comolli. It is broadcast by
Rai 1
Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship television channel and is known for broadcasting ...
and is open to singers aged 4 to 10.
The first two contests were held in
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
. In 1961, the contest was taken up by the
Antoniano Institute and moved to
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
. In 2009, Cino Tortorella left Zecchino d'Oro.
In 1963,
Mariele Ventre, a conductor and director of young performers, created the
Piccolo Coro dell'Antoniano Children's Choir (called Piccolo Coro "Mariele Ventre" dell'Antoniano after her death in 1995, and directed by
Sabrina Simoni).
From 1976, the contest took on an international perspective - each year seven songs performed by Italian contestants and seven by foreign contestants voted for by a children's jury. The winning song is rewarded with the Zecchino d'Oro award.
As has been regularly stated during the event, the songs are written by famous Italian musicians, not the children who sing the competing entries. This rule applies to all editions.
Young songwriters are Yumiko Ashikawa (芦川祐美子, 7, who also has sung her song), Miruna Codruța Oprea (13), Ioachim Octavian Petre (13), and Lara Polli (13).
See also
*
List of songs recorded by Zecchino d'Oro
External links
www.zecchinodoro.org1959-2009
Raiuno Official Homepage - 48 ZdOAntoniano Official Homepage - 49 ZdOAntoniano Official Homepage - 50 ZdOAntoniano Official Homepage - 51 ZdO
* ttps://www.raiplay.it/programmi/zecchinodoromemories Zecchino d'Oro Memories
Music festivals in Italy
Children's music festivals
Children's arts organizations
Child-related organisations in Italy
1959 in Italian television
1959 in Italian music
{{music-festival-stub