FRANCESCA BONAITA

“A young violinist offers much to seduce the ear”. Francesca Bonaita, whose winning sound is especially impressive (…), spins out a natural lyrical thread. (…). Szymanowski’s elaborations of three Paganini Caprices, show Bonaita’s ability to hover apparently indefinitely in the instrument’s uppermost reaches. “The Strad”, March 2025.

Francesca Bonaita (Milan, 1997), soloist and chamber violinist, has been acclaimed by critics for her extraordinary technique and intensity, and recognized among the finest young performers, with a steadily rising international career. Her playing stands out for its surprising artistic maturity, virtuosic technique, sound control, emotional depth and passion, yet also for its fluidity and lightness.

With her debut at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, in a solo violin recital, and her performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the M. Jora Philharmonic Orchestra of Bacau embarked on an intense solo and chamber career, receiving enthusiastic acclaim from both critics and audiences. She is deeply engaged in a wide-ranging repertoire, extending from the 20th century to contemporary music.

Winner of numerous First Absolute Prizes in international violin competitions, she has distinguished herself in prestigious WFIMC world circuit competitions such as the Grumiaux Competition, George Enescu Violin Competition in Bucharest, Kloster Schöntal, Béla Bartók Violin Competition in Budapest, and was a finalist at the Anton Rubinstein International Violin Competition.

Among her most prestigious international collaborations are solo debuts with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana at the LAC in Lugano, performing B. A. Zimmermann’s Concerto for Violin and Large Orchestra under Arturo Tamayo, and A. Schnittke’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and String Orchestra conducted by Kevin Griffiths; with the Savaria Symphony Orchestra in Budapest in Bottesini’s Gran Duo Concertante; the Taurida Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg; the Filharmonie Orchestra in Barber’s Violin Concerto; the Italian Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto; the Pozzoli Philharmonic Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s E minor Concerto; and recitals with pianists Itamar Golan and Mikhail Mordvinov.

She recorded for Brilliant Classics the CD Karol Szymanowski. Works for violin and piano, in duo with pianist Saskia Giorgini, to outstanding critical acclaim. “Bonaita’s violin is a mature combination of technique and expressiveness, virtuosity and poetry.” — Classic Voice, January 2025 “Solidity, refined sound, expressive maturity, and elegant interpretive taste.” — Amadeus, April 2025

She has been invited to perform, collaborating with prominent figures of the international concert scene, for Unione Musicale in Turin, MITO Festival, Serate Musicali in Milan, Amici della Musica in Padua, MantovaMusica, Bologna Festival, Emilia Romagna Festival, I Concerti della Normale in Pisa, and the Accademia dei Cameristi in Bari. She has debuted at Teatro Ponchielli in Cremona, Sala Verdi of the Milan Conservatory, Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo, Teatro degli Arcimboldi, Teatro Filodrammatici, Teatro Gerolamo, and Palazzina Liberty in Milan; Palazzo Barolo in Turin; Teatro Grande in Brescia; Teatro Filarmonico in Verona; Palazzo Pisani in Venice; Sala dei Giganti in Padua; Palazzo Ducale in Genoa; Teatro Bibiena in Mantua; Palazzo Chigi Saracini in Siena; and the Cappella Palatina of the Royal Palace of Caserta. Abroad, she has performed in Germany, Austria (at the Musikverein and the Arnold Schönberg Center in Vienna), Switzerland, France, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Norway, Greece, Romania, Hungary, and the USA.

She graduated with honors at a very young age from the G. Verdi Conservatory in Milan, winning the Umberto Micheli Prize and the Pina Carmirelli Prize as best violinist of the academic year. She studied with Sergej Krylov and earned, under his guidance, a Master of Arts in Music Performance (2018) and a Specialized Music Performance degree (2020) with highest honors at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana. Since 2017, she has been refining her studies with Aleksey Semenenko and in 2024 completed her Master of Music in Professional Performance with top marks and honors at the prestigious Folkwang Universität der Künste.

She was admitted to advanced courses at the Stauffer Academy in Cremona and the Chigiana Academy in Siena with Salvatore Accardo (2014–2019), and attended masterclasses with internationally renowned artists including Andrey Baranov, Dmitri Chichlov, Mihaela Martin, Jonian Kadesha, Natalia Prishepenko, Sergey Khachatryan, Ilya Grubert, the Atos Trio, and the Trio di Parma.

She completed her classical high school diploma with top marks at Liceo Parini in Milan and has been awarded several honors for artistic merit, including the Premio Italia Giovane, Premio Grandi Guglie della Grande Milano, and the Premio Montale fuori di casa – Montal/Arte Giovani 2024.