The competition was founded in 1947 by the famous Monza pianist Rina Sala Gallo, in collaboration with the great pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, and in 1970 it became a biennial competition named after her. In October 2018 it celebrated its 25th edition.

The competition is included in the international circuit of the FMCIM and the Alink-Argerich Foundation, with specific recognition by the World Federation of Music Competitions, which is based in Geneva, and of which it is a member. The Rina Sala Gallo Piano Competition is an event of particular national and international importance, with the participation of young pianists from countries around the world, and its aim is to help young pianists in their artistic careers. Today, it is one of the most prestigious and international musical events in the city of Monza.

Over the years the Rina  Sala Gallo competition has evolved into an important opportunity for cultural promotion, as well as into a showpiece in its own right, of which part . is reserved for professionals, In the 7 days during which the competition takes place,  the Manzoni Theater in Monza is open to all music lovers, especially of the piano, extremely motivated, and even some from abroad.

The event is open, non-stop throughout the day and evening, and is free of charge at all stages of the competition. The final competitive performances are in no way inferior to the concerts of the most renowned concert associations; indeed they are real piano marathons carried out with the collaboration of very high level symphony orchestras. Since 2012 the Verdi Orchestra of Milan has been a participant, conducted by important Italian and international directors. The members of the S G C jury are distinguished representatives of international piano schools. In 2018 the president of the jury was Vladimir Ashkenazy, one of today’s greatest living pianists and conductors. The jury coordinator and artistic director of the competition is Vovka Ashkenazy, a well-known pianist and teacher.

Among the best known winners of the RSG, thus ”discovered” well before they became stars, are some of the most prestigious pianists  of today’s international concert halls, pianists like Angela Hewitt from Canada, Maria Perrotta, Mateusz Borowiak, Massimiliano Ferrati, Michael Lifts and Sophia Gulyak, and more recently, Scipione Sangiovanni, Fiorenzo Pascalucci, Alexander Panfilov and Igor Andreev. The aim of the competition is to support promising young musicians, especially in the first and delicate phase of their professional careers. Indeed this goal is  pursued, and achieved  successfully, by offering RSG winners concert performances and recitals at prestigious institutions and concert halls.