Newly built instruments with Stefano Bruno

Stefano Bruno (2000, Italy) is a laureate of numerous international competitions. At age 18, he won the 1st prize at the VIII International Cello Competition “David Popper” in Hungary. In 2022, he won the First Prize at the National Cello Competition. Stefano studied at the Conservatory in Foggia, Italy. He continued his studies with Giovanni Gnocchi in Bologna and with Francesco Dillon and Paolo Bonomini in Fiesole. In the past years, Stefano Bruno has been studying at the National Academy of Santa Cecilia in Rome with Giovanni Sollima and at the Conservatory of Amsterdam in the class of Pieter Wispelwey. He concluded his studies summa cum laude at both institutions. In 2022, he made his debut in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, with a solo recital in the Kleine Zaal as well as in Elgar’s Cello Concerto conducted by Ed Spanjaard in the Grote Zaal. Stefano is a passionate chamber musician. He is a member of the Trio Eidos (piano trio), the duo Greci-Bruno (duo violin and cello), Ensemble Opificio Sonoro (ensemble for contemporary music) and regularly gives cello and piano recitals with Daniël Kramer. Stefano plays a cello made by Rene Jacquemin between 1925 and 1930 in Mirecourt.

Victor Julien-Laferrière (Paris, 1990) won the first Queen Elisabeth Competition dedicated to the cello, in 2017. He started his study in Paris with Roland Pidoux en would later study with Heinrich Schiff in Vienna and Clemens Hagen in Salzburg. After winning ‘Brussels’, his career would take off. He played at the Sneak Preview of the Biennale in 2017, and played Dvorak’s cello concerto with the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra in 2018. He would later perform as soloist for, among others, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Amsterdam Sinfonietta. Victor also regularly performs as a conductor and is artistic director of several festivals. Victor Julien-Laferrière plays a Domenico Montagna cello with a bow made by a Dominique Pecatt.