|
|
|
Program:
Gershwin: Summertime (from Porgy and Bess)
D’Ambrosio: Canzonetta; Romanza, Op. 9; Two Pieces, Op. 38 1. Aveu 2. Le Rouet; Rêverie in A major
Wieniawski: Polonaise de concert in D major, Op. 4
Respighi: Romanza and Aubade
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Deux Morceaux de salon, Op. 6 1. Romance 2. Danse hongroise
D’Ambrosio: Romanza, Op. 27
Gershwin: It Ain’t Necessarily So (from Porgy and Bess) arr. Heifetz
This concert is the third of four concerts of the series High Notes, A New Generation of Italian Musicians celebrating 250 Years of Musical Friendship between Italy and The United States curated by Francesca Dego.
Francesca Dego: “New York and Italian culture. Nothing could feel more personal to me with my mother born and raised in Queens and my father a celebrated Italian writer. When director Claudio Pagliara entrusted me with introducing the most exciting young Italian musicians to New York audiences I was simply thrilled and today I’m proud to present the first edition of “High notes”, celebrating 2026 by exploring a musical friendship 250 years young. Kicking off on June 4th with star pianist Martina Consonni, we continue with violinists Giuseppe Gibboni (winner of Paganini Competition in 2021 and fresh from debuts with Atlanta, Milwaukee and Detroit symphonies) and Lucilla Mariotti together with pianist Alessio Enea, guitarist Carlotta Dalia and cellist Erica Piccotti together with pianist Leonardo Pierdomenico, who have included the world premiere of a piece by young Italian composer Enrico Scaccaglia in their wonderful programme. You will get a taste of Italian inspired works by some of the greatest minds in music history, from Bach to Stravinsky, savour all-time favourites by Paganini and Gershwin, get to know extraordinary composers like Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Amy Beach and discover rarities like the delightful salon music by Alfredo D’Ambrosio. See you on Park Avenue!”
Bio:
Lucilla Rose Mariotti, born in 2001, is an internationally acclaimed violinist praised for her warm tone and compelling stage presence. In 2025, she performed for Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Highgrove House, in an event organized by the Italian Embassy in the UK. In 2024, she made her Australian tour debut as soloist in Vivaldi Gala Night, performing in Perth, Brisbane, and at the Sydney Opera House. Winner of First Prize and Audience Prize at the 2023 Violins&Soul Music Competition during the Amadeus Festival in Vienna, she received a two-year loan of a 1709 Stradivari violin from the Goh Family Collection. With this instrument, she recorded her debut album Lumière du Temps for Orchid Classics with pianist Alessio Enea, with whom she won the Giovanni Guglielmo Award in 2025. She also received the Daniele Gay Award, established by Francesca Dego. Lucilla has appeared as soloist with several orchestras, notably the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, representing Italy at the 2023 European Festival of Soloists in Venezuela, and has performed in major venues including Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Teatro La Fenice, and Teatro alla Scala. She currently performs on a 1690 Giovanni Grancino violin, kindly loaned by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.
Italian pianist Alessio Enea was a finalist at the prestigious Premio Venezia in 2015 and has performed in renowned venues including Teatro La Fenice, LAC Lugano, Piano City Milan, Teatro Politeama in Palermo, and the Monteverdi Auditorium in Mantua. He made his orchestral debut in 2016 with Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto and has since performed across Switzerland as a selected artist of the Lyra Foundation. He studied in Lugano and at the Royal College of Music in London with Dmitri Alexeev, supported by the Charles Napper Award and the Gary & Eleanor Brass Scholarship, and completed an Artist Diploma in Collaborative Piano with honours under Prof. Simon Lepper. A dedicated chamber musician, Alessio was awarded the Guglielmo 2025 Chamber Music Grant as part of a duo with violinist Lucilla Rose Mariotti, with whom he has also appeared on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. He currently works as a chamber music coach and accompanist at the Royal College of Music.
Italian American violinist Francesca Dego is celebrated for her compelling interpretations and flawless technique. Upcoming debuts include San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Danish National, Melbourne Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Bilbao Symphony and Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai and an artistic residency at London’s Wigmore Hall.
Francesca performs with major orchestras worldwide including London Symphony, Tokyo’s NHK, Taipei Symphony, National Symphony in Washington, Dallas, Houston, Baltimore, Detroit, Seattle Symphonies; Swedish Radio Symphony, London Philharmonic, l’Orquesta de Castilla y León, l’Orchestre de Champs Elysées, Brucknerhaus Linz, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Key recordings on Chandos Records and Deutsche Grammophon include the complete Mozart violin concertos with Sir Roger Norrington, Brahms and Busoni Concertos with the BBC Symphony and Dalia Stasevska, concertos by Paganini and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari and a complete survey of the violin sonatas by Beethoven and Paganini’s Caprices on Deutsche Grammophon.
Francesca plays on a fine Antonio Stradivari violin on loan from J & A Beare.