Mihai Ritivoiu, the winner of the National Piano Contest organized by Radio Romania Music within The Lipatti Days, was among the selected musicians, on the 5^th February 2011, for receiving a scholarship from The Princess Margarita of Roumania Foundation. Mihai Ritivoiu benefits from this scholarship for the second year in a row, being one of the two pianists accepted in the program Young Talents. Ana-Monica Achimescu, the coordinator of the project, has given us an interview:

In what context did The Princess Margarita of Roumania Foundation's program Young Talents take birth and which are the main objectives that you have in mind?

The Young Talents program took birth in the year 2008, being a pilot project of The Princess Margarita of Roumania Foundation. It was afterwards modified and improved, and at the end of the year 2008 the mentoring component awarded by established artists was added to it and, also, the workshop and creative camp component. The most important objective of the program is to back up and promote the young talented artists that come from families with low earnings and who cannot develop their talent because of the indigence. The project addresses exclusively to the young, to children with the age between 14 and 24 that study in Bucharest, at the art gymnasiums, universities and schools.

13 artists were awarded this year at the music section. Which were the criteria for their selection and who was in the jury?

This year we support two fields: fine arts and music. On the 12^th November 2010 we started the fourth edition of scholarships given to young talents. The admission consisted in two assays - the preselection (the analysis of the files by the project's team) and the selection of the candidates, which was the audition and the presentation of the portfolios, made by a professional jury. On the 5^th February this year the judging phase in the music field took place, where 39 candidates were accepted. The professional jury was formed of prof. univ. dr. Steluţa Radu, conf. univ. dr. Eleonora Enăchescu, musicologist Mihai Cosma, the violinist Răzvan Popovici - the director of the 'SoNoRo' Festival, the clarinetist Emil Vişenescu, the composer Mihai Murariu, the cellist Marin Cazacu and Valentina Băinţan - television editor. At the preselection, the principal criterion was the financial situation of the candidates, certified by the justification documents required by the project's team, and at the judging phase, the principal criterion was the talent and also the long term objectives of the candidate.

Which are the perspectives of this year's scholars and in what manner will they be backed up by the The Princess Margarita of Roumania Foundation?

The scholarship program Young Talents offers the artists, apart from the financial aid, a chance to widen their horizons and the opportunity to learn from the best in the chosen field. Precisely due to these motifs, in the year 2011 we will insist on the mentoring component of the project, with the help of which the young scholars will participate at meetings, discussions and creative workshops made by remarking professors and personalities of fine arts, music and not only. We will organize several activities - shows, varnishings, exhibits and festivals in that the young will be able to interact and socialize for creating a proper artistic environment for their development. Also, between the 11^th and 18^th July 2011 the creation camp from Tescani, Bacău county, will take place, an event that is already a tradition. In this camp we wish to organize an interdisciplinary show, with a certain theme, that will be staged at the Young Talents graduation Gala 2011.

Mihai Ritivoiu is also among the selected ones at the music field, known to the Radio Romania Music listeners from the competition organized within The Lipatti Days. What can you tell us about this talented pianist, taking into account that he benefits from your aid the second year in a row?

The talented pianist Mihai Ritivoiu, student at the National Music University, in the class of prof. Viniciu Moroianu, has obtained also other awards at important national and international competitions. The fact that he is this year too one of the scholars from The Princess Margarita of Roumania Foundation's Young Talents program, I think it confirms once again his talent.