October Concert Guest Artist
Praised for having “a magnificent personality, a superb energy, a total command and an extremely convincing taste” (La Libre Belgique), young Italian violinist Markus Placci is enjoying a growing international reputation. After a recent performance in Germany, the critics stated “as for depth and musical fantasy, he is second to no one”(Badener Tagblatt), and hailed his playing for its “verve that takes your breath away”, and its “fabulous, singing-like, romantic tone” (Badische Neueste Nachrichten).
Since his solo debut at age 13 with the Bologna Symphony, Mr. Placci has appeared in solo performances throughout Europe and the United States in venues such as the Great Philharmonic Hall
(Shostakovich Hall) and the Glinka Philarmonic Hall in St. Petersburg (Russia), the Kursaal in Baden-Baden, the Teatro Monumental in Madrid, the Auditori in Barcelona, the Teatro Comunale and Mozart Hall in Bologna, the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Seully Hall in Boston, and the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton. His past and future engagements include solo performances with major symphony orchestras like the Barcelona Symphony, the Radio Television Orchestra of Spain (RTVE), the Baden-Baden Philarmonie, the Bologna Symphony, Milan's Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra, Teatro San Carlo Napoli Symphony, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano, the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella Orchestra, the Padova e del Veneto Orchestra, among others.
Winner of the prestigious “XXVI Vittorio Veneto Competition” on a unanimous vote of the Jury presided by Maestro Bruno Giuranna, Mr. Placci is also the recipient of numerous other awards and prizes. These include "Best Graduate of the Year" in Italy, the “Brahms Preis” and “Baden-Baden Philarmonie Foundation-Carl Flesch Preis” in Germany, while in the United States he was awarded the “Jules C. Reiner Violin Prize” at Tanglewood, and was a Top Prize Winner of the “Washington International Competition 2006”.
In September 2005, collaborating with conductor Uwe Mund and the RTVE Orchestra (Orchestra of the Radio-Television of Spain), Mr. Placci world premiered with great acclaim the Violin Concerto written by Catalan composer Jordi Cervello’. The concert was broadcasted live from Teatro Monumental in Madrid both on the radio and the national television (Tve2).
In 2007, Cervello' composed and dedicated to him his “Tre Pensieri” for violin and piano.
Mr. Placci is also an avid chamber musician, with performances that range from duo recitals in prominent concert seasons such as Musica Insieme (MICO) and Accademia Filarmonica Mozart in Bologna, Societa' del Quartetto of Vicenza, Asolo Musica, Steinway Hall Boston..., to trio appearances as a founding member of the Fortuna Piano Trio with K. Lee and M. Carbonara, which won the “Villecroze Academy Award 2007” in France and toured South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay). He has also performed on many occasions in quartet, and quintet settings, collaborating with groups such as the Mistral Chamber Society (performances on WGBH), and the Ludovico Contemporary Chamber Music Ensemble in Boston.
His formal education started at the age of 10, when he entered the Bologna Conservatory. Here he was awarded the “Plata Award”, and graduated with top grades, “Summa cum laude” and a “Special mention of Honour”. Later on he studied in Lübeck (Germany) with Zakhar Bron, in New York with Mela Tenenbaum, and at The Boston Conservatory with the late Zinaida Gilels, as well as L. Stoltzman, I. Muresanu, and L. Chang, under whose joint guidance he graduated with both a Graduate Performance Diploma (2004) and the prestigious Artist Diploma (2006). At the Boston Conservatory, Mr. Placci was awarded Full Scholarship and the “Michael A. Alaura Scholarship”.
He has recently been appointed as Violin Faculty.
The son of two musicians, Markus Placci plays on a 1871 J.B. Vuillaume violin, copy of the “Alard” Stradivari.
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