MARIO BRUNELLO, the internationally acclaimed Italian cello, in 1986 won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Since then he has performed with the main orchestras (London Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Santa Cecilia, Filarmonica della Scala…) and with the most important conductors (Abbado, Gergiev, Temirkanov, Muti, Chailly, Giulini…). He has forged fruitful chamber music partnerships with artists such as Lucchesini, Bashmet, Pollini, Argerich and Accardo.
His all-encompassing artistic passions have generated special projects that cross genres, including collaborations with singer-songwriters Vinicio Capossela, Gianmaria Testa, writers Monia Ovadia, Stefano Benni, actor Marco Paolini, musicians like Uri Caine, Paolo Fresu and Norma Winstone. With his striking interpretations and individuality, he has embraced new audiences; many innovative projects were born at Antiruggine, a former Castelfranco Veneto iron foundry transformed by Brunello into a laboratory for exploring creative dialogues with literature, philosophy, science, visual arts and multimedia. He’s artistic director of “Arte Sella Festival”, “Premio Borciani” and “International String Quartet Festival” in Reggio Emilia.