Biography

Master’s student at the Musikhochschule Freiburg with Jean-Guihen Queyras, Italian cellist Francesco Tamburini earned an Artist Diploma at the Stauffer Academy in Cremona with Antonio Menenes, as well as a Bachelor of Music at the Mozarteum University Salzburg with Giovanni Gnocchi. In 2019 he graduated from the “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory in Milan. He has the precious opportunity to also draw inspiration from the work with his mentors S. Isserlis, S. Doane, T. Riebl and C. Shih, while having the opportunity to deepen his knowledge of historical performance practice with C. Dangel (baroque cello).

Francesco is selected as 2024 Laureate of the Fondation Gautier Capuçon and recipient of the Stauffer Academy/Rotary Club Biannual Scholarship 2024.

He is co-founder and co-director of the VIVACISSIMO Festival, a residency for chamber music born in 2023 in the south of Italy and run together with his dear friend pianist Paolo Tirro. 

Francesco is invited to international festivals such as IMS and OCM Prussia Cove, Écoles d'Art Américaines de Fontainebleau, NUME Academy & Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa International Academy Switzerland, Ravinia's Steans Institute, Toronto Summer Music, Villars Institute, studying i. a. with P. Muller, N. Imai, D. Geringas, D. Waterman, S. Harada, J. Steckel, J. Pernoo, Quatuor Ebene, Gary Hoffman. 

For the upcoming seasons 24/25 and 25/26 Francesco joins Musethica International.

In 2023 he was awarded - together with Canadian violinist Yan Li - the Special Prize of the Jury at the Prix Ravel International Competition (Paris).

He is active as a chamber musician alongside internationally renowned musicians such as V. Mullova, S. Accardo, A. Grosz, V. Stanculeasa, T. Riebl, N. Imai, O. Meir-Wellber, M. Costea, H. Winkelman, M. Piketty, B. Giuranna, H. Winkelman broadcast by the most important European radio/television channels (RAI Radio3, Rai 5, NDR and BR).

From 2022 Francesco joins the Camerata Salzburg as Guest Player (Internship/Praktikum).

In his orchestral experience he has worked with conductors such as C. Eschenbach, M. Honeck, T. Koopman, K. Urbansky, D. Gatti, K. Yamada, performing in prestigious concert venues including the Elbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, KKL Luzern, Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum, Athenaeum Bucharest, Wiener Konzerthaus..

His activity in the field of contemporary music led him to collaborate with H. Lachenmann, A. Solbiati, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Dallapiccola. Brazilian composer Ernst Mahle dedicated to Francesco the new composition 'Ponteio' for piano and cello.

A keen enthusiast of improvisation, he has performed live-improvisations in several venues, including the Beethoven-Haus Bonn and the Bulgarian National Radio, collaborating G. Vracheva and M. Barley.

Francesco is grateful to Thomastik-Infeld Vienna for the generous sponsorship and constant support.

He plays a Giovanni Battista Grancino cello (1700) kindly loaned to him by the Landessammlung Streichinstrumente Baden-Württemberg foundation.

The upcoming commitments include a debut recital for the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg, a recording as member of the cello ensemble “Capucelli” lead by international soloist Gautier Cauçon for Warner Classics France/Erato and a CD release for Naxos of America produced by OnClassical Records.