ABOUT FRANCISCO FULLANA
Acclaimed for his performances in both Europe and the US, Spanish violinist
Francisco Fullana is enjoying a diverse international career of concerto and recital appearances as well as a wide array of collaborations as a chamber musician. Praised by Gustavo Dudamel as a "remarkable talent," The Boston Globe called him "a very special violinist." Performances in recent seasons included Brahms' Concerto under Gustavo Dudamel as well as his debut with the Madrid State Orchestra under Victor Pablo in the Spanish National Hall. Francisco also made his debuts with Dana Point, Guanajuato, Irvine, Maryland and Pacific Symphony Orchestras and the State Chapella of Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Francisco is currently in his second season as artist in residence for the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra, performing Bartók's Second Violin Concerto under Eivind Gullberg Jensen. Other engagements for the 2016-2017 season include debuts with the Alabama and Xalapa Symphony Orchestras, the Lyra Chamber Orchestra (Switzerland) and return concerto performances with the Guanajuato (Mexico), Central Aichi (Japan) and Atlantic Symphonies. Recital appearances include recitals at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, Pickman Hall, Bellver Festival, the March Foundation in Madrid and Munetsugu Hall in Japan. Fullana will also appear in a "Musicians from Marlboro" tour, performing chamber music in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Library of Congress and the Kimmel Center, as well as performances in The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music Series, and engagements with the Concordia and Jupiter Chamber Players.
Next summer, Orchid Classics will release Fullana's debut recording, which includes Max Richter's "Four Seasons Recomposed" with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Carlos Izcaray. Looking ahead, his ongoing collaboration with Argentinian bandoneonist JP Jofre will culminate in 2018 with the premiere of Jofre's Double Concerto for bandoneon and violin, a work commissioned by Alabama and Balearic Islands Symphonies as well as New York City's Metropolis Ensemble to honor Leonard Bernstein's centennial.
Highlights of past seasons have included a Mendelssohn Violin Concerto performance under the late Sir Colin Davis and Bayerische Philarmonie, as well as concerto appearances with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, both presented by Lyra Foundation. Francisco has also appeared with the Vancouver Symphony and the Spanish Radio Television Orchestra. Other concerto engagements have included performances with "El Sistema" Symphony Orchestra, Hof Symphony, Extremadura Symphony and many others. His music has been heard in concert halls all over the world: Spain, USA, Germany, Switzerland, Venezuela, Israel, Argentina, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, Mexico and Japan; in front of distinguished audiences that have included the King and Queen of Spain.
He has appeared on some of the world´s finest stages, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall´s Weill Recital Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Spanish National Hall and Seoul Arts Center. Francisco has been conducted by distinguished artists such as Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Poppen, Adrian Leaper, Salvador Brotons, Pablo Mielgo, Carlos Izcaray, Luis de Pablo, Álvaro Albiach, Justin Brown, Alondra de la Parra, Lanfranco Marcelleti, Philippe Bender, Jin Kim, and many others.
As the First Prize winner of the 2015 Munetsugu International Violin Competition in Japan, he was awarded the loan of the 1697 "Rainville" Stradivari violin. Francisco was also awarded all four special prizes at this competition, including the Audience and Orchestra awards.
The First Prize winner at the 2015 Pro Musicis International Awards and the 2014 International Johannes Brahms Violin Competition in Austria, Fullana was also the First Prize winner at the 2006 Pablo de Sarasate National Violin Competition and a multiple prizewinner at the 2014 Henri Marteau International Violin Competition. Other prizes include First Prize of the 2012 American Protégé International Competition, 2012 First Prize and Audience Award at the Atlantic Symphony Concerto Competition, First Prize at the 2010 TIM Torneo Internazionale di Musica and First Prize at the Julio Cardona International Violin Competition, as well as the Maria Paula Alonso Award.
Francisco is a very active chamber musician, appearing in festivals such as Da Camera Society, Marlboro Music, Music@Menlo, Perlman Music Program, Yellow Barn, Concordia and Jupiter Chamber Players, alongside members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Takacs and Cleveland Quartets. He has also performed with renowned artists Viviane Hagner, Nobuko Imai, Charles Neidich and Mitsuko Uchida, among many others. Since 2013, he is the concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, where he is also the artistic director of COSA's Chamber Music Institute.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, where he obtained Bachelor and Master degrees with Don Weilerstein and Masao Kawasaki, he is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the University of Southern California under the renowned violinist Midori Goto. Francisco started violin with Bernat Pomar in his hometown of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and is also a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, where he studied with Manuel Guillén.
Since 2013, Francisco has been a recipient of the Stradivari Society of Chicago. He performs on the 1697 "Rainville" Stradivarius, kindly on loan from the Yellow Angel Foundation of Japan.
