Claudia Aru is the new artistic director of the Vittorio Inzaina Prize , a singing competition held in Telti, the hometown of the first Sardinian singer to grace the Sanremo stage. Creativity and an inclusive space for voices of all ages: Aru's manifesto introduces some new features that will characterize the 2026 edition .
Meanwhile, the promotion of emerging singers, educational training courses and promotional tours.
"The award will open up new horizons," Aru explains, "in synergy with the event's creators, who chose me and placed their trust in me. First, we'll celebrate and raise awareness of Vittorio Inzaina, and then we'll give everyone the opportunity to express themselves and make themselves known, from children to teenagers, all the way up to seniors—or "very young people," as I like to say. Because singing—and art in general—makes you young, it's ageless, and it belongs to everyone."
The competition will remain similar in structure to previous years : three days of competitions featuring unreleased, published, and cover songs in any language, from Italian to Sardinian to English. There will also be several side events and the confirmation of the special "Isola In..cantata" Award (for a prominent figure in Sardinian culture), which was awarded last year to the renowned tenor Francesco Demuro. "Our Award is now an established reality, but to continue to grow, we need fresh visions and courage," commented Councilor Matteo Sanna on social media when introducing the new project. "As the creator of this project, I am honored to welcome a professional of Claudia's caliber, a choice born of a deep understanding and teamwork shared with Giada Inzaina, G. Mario Inzaina, and the president of the Pro Loco, Marilena Suelzu."
A graduate of the DAMS (Music, Music and Performing Arts) in Bologna and a graduate of the Cagliari Conservatory in Jazz Singing, Claudia Aru has appeared in all major publications on Sardinian music in Italy and abroad. One of the island's most representative voices, with an intense concert schedule in Sardinia and Italy, she has brought her project to several European capitals. In 2016, she was a guest at the Italian Cultural Institute in Osaka, Japan. In November 2017, she performed at the Beijing and Shanghai Cultural Institutes, in 2018 in Bangalore, India, and in January 2020 in Lima, Peru, again for the Italian Cultural Institute. In 2020, she participated in a cultural exchange and psychosocial support project in the Hamdallaye refugee camp in Niamey, the capital of Niger, and in 2023, she returned to the Thai Folk Fest, performing in 13 cities across Thailand. He collaborated with several prominent Sardinian artists, culminating in his first solo album, "Aici," followed by "A Giru, a Giru," "Momo," and "ARU." In 2024, his first documentary for Rai Sardegna, "In Tundu," was released, in which he explores his teaching method in the Morro Cantagalo favela in Rio de Janeiro and Lobato in Salvador de Bahia.
