Concert September 26 and 27, 2026, 5:00 PM. In collaboration with Accademia Filarmonica Romana.

The Walton Foundation’s concert series at the La Mortella Gardens Recital Hall continues to enjoy tremendous public success. The upcoming event on September 26–27 in collaboration with the Accademia Filarmonica Romana, will feature a performance by the exceptionally talented young Italian-Albanian pianist Ruben Xhaferi.

Born in 2005, Ruben has won over twenty national and international awards, including the Lamberto Brunelli Prize, the Silvio Bengalli Prize, and the *Premio Nazionale delle Arti* (National Arts Prize)—a prestigious honor bestowed by the Ministry of Education upon the top students from Italy’s conservatories—among many others. He began his studies at the Bologna Conservatory under S. Baldi, graduating with top marks and special distinction. He currently studies with A. Taverna at the Padua Conservatory and attends the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome under B. Lupo, as well as the Accademia Chigiana under the guidance of L. Zilberstein.
He has performed in Italy, Germany, Spain, and Slovenia at prestigious venues—such as the Pauline Chapel at the Quirinal Palace in Rome (broadcast live on RAI Radio3), the Salone dei Cinquecento at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, the Sala Mozart at the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna, and the Teatro Belloni in Monza—for major institutions and festivals, including the Società dei Concerti in Milan, the Ljubljana Festival, the Emilia-Romagna Festival, and the Bartolomeo Cristofori International Festival in Padua. He has performed as a soloist with ensembles such as I Musici dell’Accademia di Bologna, the symphony orchestras of the Adria, Bologna, and Cagliari conservatories, the Orchestra Senzaspina (Bologna), the FVG Chamber Orchestra, and the Orchestra Regionale Filarmonia Veneta.

Ruben Xhaferi will present two completely different programs at La Mortella, both demanding great technical and interpretive skill. In Saturday’s concert, in particular, he will perform two sets of absolute masterpieces from the piano repertoire: Debussy’s "Préludes" (Book I) and Chopin’s "Études", Op. 10—compositions that have long served as a proving ground for the greatest pianists in the history of the instrument.