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 Meneses, 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 draw inspiration from his mentors S. Isserlis, S. Doane, T. Riebl, and G. Hoffman, J. Reuling, while deepening his knowledge of historical performance practice with C. Dangel (baroque cello).
Francesco was selected as a 2024 Laureate of the Fondation Gautier Capuçon and is the recipient of the 2024 Stauffer Academy/Rotary Club Biannual Scholarship.
Francesco is the beneficiary of the "Irene und Walter Kley-Award" 2025.
He is the co-founder and co-director of the VIVACISSIMO Festival, an Artistic Residency for chamber music established in 2023 in southern Italy, organized in collaboration with his dear friend, pianist Paolo Tirro. In August 2025, the VIVACISSIMO Festival will hold its third edition.
Francesco has been 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, Schiermonnikoog Festival, Toronto Summer Music, Villars Music Academy, Apeldoorn Masterclasses, Cello Biennale Amsterdam, and Oropa Festival. He has studied with distinguished musicians including P. Muller, N. Imai, D. Geringas, D. Waterman, S. Harada, J. Steckel, J. Pernoo, Quatuor Ébène, R. Latzko, L. Hopkins.
For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons, Francesco will join Musethica International.
In 2023, he was awarded the Special Prize of the Jury at the Prix Ravel International Competition (Paris), alongside Canadian violinist Yan Li.
As a chamber musician, Francesco collaborates with internationally acclaimed artists such as V. Mullova, S. Accardo, A. Grosz, J.-G. Queyras, V. Stanculeasa, G. Capuçon, T. Riebl, N. Imai, O. Meir-Wellber, M. Costea, H. Winkelman, M. Piketty, and B. Giuranna.
In November 2023, Francesco stepped in for star cellist Sol Gabetta to perform a solo recital at the Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy, playing the rare Antonio Stradivari 'Stauffer - Ex Christiani' Cello.
His performances have been broadcast by prominent European radio and television channels, including RAI Radio3, Rai 5, RTS, NDR, and BR.
Since 2022, Francesco has been a Guest Player (Internship/Praktikum) with the Camerata Salzburg.
In his orchestral experience, he has worked with esteemed conductors such as C. Eschenbach, M. Honeck, T. Koopman, K. Urbansky, D. Gatti, and K. Yamada, performing in prestigious concert halls including the Elbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, KKL Luzern, Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum, Athenaeum Bucharest, and Wiener Konzerthaus.
Francesco’s contributions to contemporary music have led to collaborations with H. Lachenmann, A. Solbiati, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and Ensemble Dallapiccola.
Brazilian composer Ernst Mahle has dedicated his new composition, Ponteio for piano and cello, to Francesco.
A passionate improviser, Francesco has performed live improvisations across Europe in venues such as the Beethoven-Haus Bonn and Bulgarian National Radio, collaborating with G. Vracheva and M. Barley.
Francesco is grateful to Thomastik-Infeld Vienna for their generous sponsorship and continuous support.
He plays a Giovanni Battista Grancino cello (1700), kindly loaned to him by the Landessammlung Streichinstrumente Baden-Württemberg Foundation, following a successful audition in February 2024.
His upcoming engagements include a debut recital for the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg, a recording as part of the cello ensemble Capucelli, led by international soloist Gautier Capuçon for Warner Classics/Erato, and a debut CD release with Naxos of America, produced by OnClassical Records.