Melina Mandozzi – violin

“...the big intensive sound that fills the whole concert hall and reaches straight through to the listener’s heart…”  Wiener Zeitung

Melina Mandozzi was born in Locarno, Switzerland, into a family of musicians.  She received her first violin lesson at the age of four from Suor Clara Lainati, later studying at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School in London.  From 1989 Melina studied in the virtuoso class of Professor Zachar Bron at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, where she was awarded both her Diploma, as well as her Konzertexamen with excellence.  From 2001, she took a two-year postgraduate course at the University of Music in Graz with Professor Boris Kushnir.

At the age of twelve she gave her debut at the Royal Festival Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and has since been performing throughout Europe as well as in the USA, South America and Japan. 

Since her first 1st Prize, at the age of 8, Melina Mandozzi has continued succeeding in numerous international violin competitions; “Lipizer”, “Oistrach”, “Novosibirsk”, “Johannes Brahms”, “Fritz Kreisler”, “Vienna International Music Competition”, “Dr. Luis SIGALL”, “Vaclav HUML”, “Tibor Varga”, as well as winning a three year scholarship from the Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund, the “Förderpreis Orpheus-Konzerte” and as a chamber musician, winning the International Chamber Music Competition in Osaka. 

In 2003 she became Concertmaster of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Vienna, and in 2004 Concertmaster of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra.  Since 2005 she has been guest leading the London Symphony Orchestra as well as the Tonhalle-Orchester in Zürich, and in 2006 also the London Philharmonia as well as the BBC Symphony Orchestra.  From 2007 she has been also guest leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Norway, where she now works and lives.  A special contract allows her to continue performing both as a soloist and chamber musician. 

Melina Mandozzi plays on a violin by G.B.Guadagnini, made in Piacenza in 1742.