Franco Mezzena

Activities

• Guest soloist at concert halls and festivals in Europe, Japan, Africa, Martinique, South America, U.S.A and Mexico.
• Played Mendelssohn Op.64 at Carnegie Hall in New York.
• Toured with "I Musici" and "I Virtuosi di Roma".
• Performed with Salvatore Accardo, Bruno Battisti D’Amario, Julius Berger, Bruno Canino, Roberto Fabbriciani, Rocco Filippini, Severino Gazzelloni, Stefano Giavazzi, Bruno Giuranna, Johannes Goritzki, Jacques Klein, Alain Meunier, Bruno Mezzena, Andrea Noferini, Antony Pay, Franco Petracchi, Claudio Piastra, Ruggiero Ricci, Eros Roselli, Massimo Scattolin, Hariolf Schlichtig, Rohan de Saram.
• Concerts for RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana, Radio Vaticana, BBC, ABC, NBC, WSKG, WGBH Boston, NHK Television Japan, KBS Corea, etc.
• Gives Master Classes in Italy and abroad. He teaches at Accademia di Musica "Bruno Mezzena" in Supersano - Italy.

  Recordings

• He recorded more than 70 CD for Dynamic, Odradek Records, Brilliant Classics, Newton Classics, Luna Rossa Classic, Wide Classique, Symposium, Rivo Alto, Ricordi, Nuova Era, E.M.S. Arcobaleno.
• Recorded for Dynamic the 29 concertos for violin and orchestra by Giovanni Battista Viotti, where he appears as soloist and conductor of the "Symphonia Perusina" and the Chamber Orchestra “Milano Classica”.
• Recorded for Luna Rossa Records label the complete Sonatas for violin and piano by Johannes Brahms with the pianist Alberto Nones.
• Recorded for Wide Classique label the complete works for violin and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven with the pianist Stefano Giavazzi.
• Recorded for Wide Classique label the complete works for violin and guitar by Mauro Giuliani with the guitarist Umberto Cafagna.
• Recorded for Luna Rossa Records label the complete works for violin and guitar by Mauro Giuliani with the guitarist Umberto Cafagna .
• Recorded for Brilliant Classics the complete string quartets by Giovanni Battista Viotti with Quartetto Viotti.
• Recorded for Brilliant Classics the complete piano trios by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari with Trio Mezzena-Patria-Ballario.
• Recorded for Dynamic the works for violin and piano by Germaine Tailleferre with the pianist Bruno Mezzena.

  Conducting

• Has conducted the Lublijana Symphony Orchestra, the Pescara Symphony Orchestra, the “Teatro Regio of Turin” Symphony Orchestra, the “Milano Classica” Chamber Orchestra, the “Interpreti Italiani” Chamber Orchestra, the Jalisco Philarmonic Orchestra etc.

  Positions

• Teacher and member of "Scuola Italiana d'Archi".
• Soloist and conductor of the Orchestra da Camera di Lecce e del Salento and member of the Jury of Italian EUYO Auditions.
• He is Artistic Director for Orchestra da Camera di Lecce e del Salento.
• Founder of Mezzena Quartet with Marcello Defant, Gianpaolo Guattèri and Sergio Patria.
• Founder of Trio Mezzena-Patria-Ballario with Sergio Patria and Elena Ballario.

  Other

• Interviewed on The Strad, Fanfare Magazine, American Record Guide, New York Times, Gramophone, Diapason, FonoForum, MUSICA etc.
• He plays a 1695 Stradivarius, an instrument by Roberto Regazzi, an instrument by Giovanni Osvaldo Fiori and one instrument made by Giuseppe Leone.
• Franco Mezzena plays on strings DOGAL Capriccio Soloist.