SR 40

1 State of Arkansas
2 95th General Assembly
3 Fiscal Session, 2026  SR 40
4
5 By: Senator C. Penzo
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8SENATE RESOLUTION
9TO RECOGNIZE THE WINNERS OF THE IBLA GRAND PRIZE
10INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COMPETITION; AND TO COMMEND THE
11IBLA GRAND PRIZE MUSIC COMPETITION AND FESTIVAL FOR
12STRENGTHENING CULTURAL EXCHANGE THROUGH MUSICAL
13OUTREACH.
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16Subtitle
17TO RECOGNIZE THE WINNERS OF THE IBLA
18GRAND PRIZE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC
19COMPETITION; AND TO COMMEND THE IBLA
20GRAND PRIZE MUSIC COMPETITION AND
21FESTIVAL FOR STRENGTHENING CULTURAL
22EXCHANGE THROUGH MUSICAL OUTREACH.
23
24WHEREAS, the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition and
25 Festival is an annual music competition and festival that has taken place
26 each summer in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily, Italy, for thirty-five (35) years; and
27
28WHEREAS, the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition and
29 Festival was founded by Dr. Salvatore Moltisanti as part of his doctoral
30 thesis and each year attracts talented musicians from across the globe; and
31
32WHEREAS, winners and participants in the IBLA Grand Prize International
33 Music Competition and Festival travel and perform across the world, across
34 the United States of America, and across Arkansas, and with the final
35 performance each year taking place at Carnegie Hall in New York City; and
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  SR40
1      WHEREAS, the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition and
2 Festival and musicians affiliated with the organization have, over the past
3 twenty-five (25) years, conducted music master classes for more than eight
4 thousand (8,000) Arkansas students at elementary, middle, and high schools in
5 cities such as Little Rock, Jacksonville, Maumelle, Lake Village, Forrest
6 City, Batesville, Springdale, Searcy, Harrison, and Hot Springs; and
7
8      WHEREAS, Gianni Burriesci, Maximilian Trebo, Wieslaw Ochwat, and Maciej
9 Zimka, who are winners from the 2025 IBLA Grand Prize International Music
10 Competition, have been exemplifying the highest standards of musical
11 achievement and cultural exchange during their travels and performances
12 across Arkansas as part of the IBLA Grand Prize International Music
13 Competition and Festival; and
14
15      WHEREAS, Gianni Burriesci of Italy, who was a 2025 IBLA Grand Prize
16 International Music Competition winner with highest honors, is sixteen (16)
17 years old and has been playing the violin since the age of three (3); and
18
19      WHEREAS, Maximilian Trebo of Italy, who was a 2025 IBLA Grand Prize
20 International Music Competition winner with high honors, graduated with
21 honors from the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, Italy, graduated with a
22 masters degree from the Mozarteum University Salzburg in Salzburg, Austria,
23 and has won more than twenty (20) first prizes at national and international
24 music competitions since he was nine (9) years old; and
25
26      WHEREAS, Wieslaw Ochwat of Poland, who was a 2025 IBLA Grand Prize
27 International Music Competition, graduated with distinction from the
28 Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland, from which he also
29 received his Ph.D. and where he now leads the accordion class at the
30 Department of Woodwind Instruments and Accordion; and
31
32      WHEREAS, Maciej Zimka of Poland, who was a 2025 IBLA Grand Prize Music
33 International Competition winner with honors, is a graduate of the Krzysztof
34 Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland, from which he also received
35 his Ph.D., is an active composer who composes works for the accordion and
36 chamber music ensembles,
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  SR40
1
2 NOW THEREFORE,
3 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
4 STATE OF ARKANSAS,
5
6      THAT the Senate:
7(1)   Extend a warm welcome to Gianni Burriesci, Maximilian Trebo,
8 Wieslaw Ochwat, and Maciej Zimka, congratulate them for their successes as
9 part of the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition and Festival,
10 and recognize them for their achievements and expertise as musicians; and
11(2)   Commend the IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition
12 and Festival for its continued role in providing exposure to the highest
13 level of musicianship to the people of Arkansas, enriching the communities of
14 Arkansas through musical performances and educational programs, and
15 strengthening international goodwill through musical cultural exchange.
16
17 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption of this resolution, appropriate
18 copies be provided to the leadership of the IBLA Foundation, Gianni
19 Burriesci, Maximilian Trebo, Wieslaw Ochwat, and Maciej Zimka by the
20 Secretary of the Senate.
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