Markus Placci - Violin

Praised for "a magnificent personality, superb energy, total mastery, and extremely sure taste" (La libre Belgique), young violinist Markus Placci is rapidly establishing a growing international reputation that has already led him to play in such renowned halls as the Philharmonic's Great Shostakovich Hall and Glinka Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg the Kursaal in Baden-Baden, The Teatro Monumental in Madrid, Barcelona Auditorium, Teatro Comunale and Mozart Hall in Bologna, Kennedy Center in Washington, Seully Hall in Boston, Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood, and Richardson Auditorium in Princeton.

Since his debut with the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna at the age of only 13, Placci has been a soloist with such prestigious international orchestras as the Barcelona Symphony, the Spanish Radio-Television Orchestra (RTVE), the Baden-Baden Philarmonie the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale and the Filarmonici del Teatro Comunale of Bologna, the Orchestra del Teatro San Carlo of Naples, the Orchestra i Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan, the Orchestra Haydn of Bolzano, the Orchestra del Friuli Venezia Giulia, and the St. Petersburg State Orchestra.

A unanimous winner of the "XXVI City of Vittorio Veneto Biennial Prize" with a jury chaired by Maestro Bruno Giuranna, Placci has also received numerous awards in Europe and the United States, such as the "Brahms Preis" and the "Foundation Prize of the Baden-Baden Philharmonie" ("Carl Flesch Preis") in Germany, the "Jules C. Reiner Violin Prize" at Tanglewood (summer home of the Boston Symphony), and the prize at the Washington International Competition.

In September 2005, live on radio and television from Madrid's Teatro Monumental, Placci gave the world premiere performance of the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra by Catalan composer Jordi Cervelló, in collaboration with Maestro U. Mund and RTVE (the Spanish Radio-Television Orchestra). In 2007, the composer wrote and dedicated to him the "Three Thoughts" for violin and piano.

Placci is also very active in chamber music with concerts ranging from recitals for prestigious concert seasons such as Musica Insieme and Accademia Filarmonica Mozart in Bologna, the Società del Quarte6o in Vicenza, Asolo Musica, Circolo Culturale Bellunese, Steinway Hall in Boston (collaborations with Maestros A. Ballista, L. Bartelloni, R. Bajdechi), to trio performances as a founding member of the "Fortuna Piano Trio" (with K. Lee and M. Carbonara), a formation that won the "Villecroze Academy Award 2007" in France under the auspices of E. Ax and recently toured South America (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay). In addition, Placci has given concerts in quartet and quintet formations collaborating with the "Mistral Chamber Society" (live radio broadcasts WGBH), and the "Ludovico Contemporary Chamber Musica Ensemble" in Boston.

A graduate with honors and Special Honorable Mention from the Conservatory of Bologna, Placci continued his studies with Z. Bron in Germany. Later, by invitation with a Scholarship, he moved to Boston to follow the teachamen/ of Z. Gilels at the Boston Conservatory, where he was awarded the Michael A. Alaura Scholarship. With the joint support of L. Stoltzman, I. Muresanu and L. Chang, and relying on the human and musical advice of Mela Tenenbaum in New York, he graduated in both the "Graduate Performance Diploma" and the prestigious "Artist Diploma."

In 2008 he was invited to return to the Boston Conservatory where he assumed the chair of principal violin.

The son of two musicians, Markus Placci now lives between Bologna and Boston. He plays an 1871 J.B. Vuillaume violin, a copy of the Stradivari "Alard."