Bruno Giuranna

Born into a family of musicians, he was one of the founders of I Musici, of the Quartetto di Roma and of the Italian String Trio.

He began his solo career by presenting, under the direction of Herbert von Karajan, the world premiere Musica da Concerto for viola and string orchestra written for him by Giorgio Federico Ghedini. He has played with orchestras such as Berliner Philharmoniker, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, and conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Sir John Barbirolli, Sergiu Celibidache, Carlo Maria Giulini and Riccardo Muti.

Holder until 1998 of the chair of viola at the Hochschule der Künste (today Universität der Künste) in Berlin, he taught in Musik-Akademie by Detmold, in S. Cecilia Conservatory of Rome, in Royal College and in Royal Academy in London and in master classes around the world. Frequently invited to the Marlboro Festival in the United States, he currently teaches in the courses of W. Stauffer Foundation of Cremona, and ofChigiana Academy of Siena.

From 1983 to 1992 he was artistic director of the Chamber Orchestra of Padua and Veneto and in 1988 he chaired the jury of the First International Bruno Giuranna Viola Competition in Brazil.

His extensive discography includes recordings for Philips, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI; as a violist he got one Grammy Award Nomination and as director he won a Grand Prix du Disque ofAcadémie Charles Cros of Paris. 

Deeply convinced of the importance of “playing together” as an irreplaceable tool in the development of the musical personality, he has been dedicating himself for years to the realization of chamber music projects that see him engaged alongside young musicians in Europe and the United States. Knight of the Grand Cross of Merit of the Italian Republic, in 2003 he received an honorary degree in letters from the University of Limerick.

After presiding over the Italian section, in 2011 he was elected European president of ESTA, an association that brings together teachers of string instruments in Europe.