Claudia Lamanna is the recipient of the 2026 “Una Vita nella Musica—Young People” Award in the performer category, presented by Teatro La Fenice in Venice as part of its “Una Vita nella Musica” Award at a ceremony held May 3 at Sale Apollinee in Teatro La Fenice. The award does not have an application process; the awardees are chosen by a committee of music critics, journalists, and musicologists. Lamanna says the news was “completely unexpected” when she heard from the committee, who stated on the award ceremony program (as translated by Lamanna), “Claudia Lucia Lamanna stands out for her refined and engaging musical style, supported by a deep awareness of the technical and expressive horizon of the instrument.”
The “Una Vita nella Musica” Award is an annual lifetime achievement award presented by Teatro La Fenice. Dutch conductor Ton Koopman is the recipient of the 2026 award, which marks its 38th edition. Since Bruno Tosi established the award in 1979, its recipients have included internationally recognized musicians such as Arthur Rubinstein, Mstislav Rostropovich, Claudio Abbado, Karl Böhm, Carlo Maria Giulini, and Leonard Bernstein.
The “Una Vita nella Musica—Young People” Award is a special division of the award dedicated to outstanding young musicians; 2026 marks the 13th edition of the “Young People” division. This year the awardees were Lamanna (performer), Davide Tramontano (composer), and Matteo Quattrocchi (musicologist).
Multi-award-winning harpist Claudia Lamanna is the first prize winner of the 2022 International Harp Contest in Israel. As a soloist, she has performed in prestigious festivals and venues worldwide, from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, from Oslo to Cairo, and she released two albums. She is harp professor at LUCA School of Arts, Belgium. Read Harp Column’s cover interview with her in our May-June 2022 issue. Learn more on her website.
