Erica Piccotti, born in Rome in 1999, has already a recording debut for the Warner Classics label. She got her diploma in cello at just 14 years old with top marks, honors and honorable mention. She made her debut with orchestra when she was 13 years old, live on Rai from Montecitorio, with Mario Brunello for the Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia in Rome and she was given the Title of Honor “Alfiere delle Repubblica” by the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano “for exceptional results in the musical field at a young age”. She currently has an active career as soloist and chamber musician in Italy and abroad. Highlights of her 2023-2024 season include debut at the Sinopoli hall of the “Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia” and debut at Teatro Auditorium Manzoni in Bologna, both with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michael Laus.
She won first prizes in national and international competitions including “Rassegna Nazionale d’Archi di Vittorio Veneto”, “Premio Nazionale delle Arti” run by Italy’s Ministry of University and Scientific Research, earning herself the title of “Best Cellist of the Italian Conservatories”, “Premio Città di Padova”, “Jugend Musiziert” Nuremberg, “NYIAA Competition” whose victory allowed her to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York, “10th International Competition Antonio Janigro” for young cellists, “Crescendo International Competition” in Florence and “Maura Giorgetti” by Filarmonica della Scala in Milan. In 2017 she won the 2nd prize at the “International Johannes Brahms Competition” in Pörtschach, Austria. Recently, she has been selected as a YCAT 2020 Finalist and recently semi-finalist at Queen Elisabeth Competition.
She received high recognitions such as the 2020 ICMA Award as “Young Concert Artist of the year”, in 2019 the prestigious “Honorary Diploma” by Accademia Chigiana di Siena, and she also was awarded the “Landgraf von Hessen Preis” by Kronberg Academy, “Premio Giannuzzi” as the best cellist in the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, the “Rotary Club Cremona” prize, the prize “Banca Monti dei Paschi di Siena” for young talents of the “Accademia Chigiana di Siena”, the “Inner Wheel” prize.
She was awarded the Scholarship of “De Sono Associazione per la Musica”, “Foundation Boubo-Music”, since 2017 she is supported by the “Associazione culturale Musica con le Ali”.
She has appeared in prestigious festivals, such as “Janigro Festival” in Porec, “Supercello Festival” in Beijing, “Chamber music Connects the world” in Kronberg, “Verbier Festival Academy”, “Schloss Elmau Festival”, “La Musica Festival” in Sarasota, “Aurora Festival” in Vanersborg, “Al Bustan Festival” in Beirut, “Ciao Festival” in Chengdu, “Festival de Cordas e Piano” in Belo Horizonte, Festival “La lumière du Roman” in Conques, Festival “Les Nuits du Chateau de la Moutte” in Saint Tropez, “Paganini Genova Festival”, “International Cello Festival Alfredo Piatti” in Bergamo, “Rome Chamber Music Festival”, “Festival dei Due Mondi” in Spoleto, “Chigiana International Festival” in Siena and “IUC” in Rome.
She has performed in some of the most important Italian theaters such as Teatro Ponchielli di Cremona, Il Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, il Teatro Ristori di Verona, il Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Teatro Olimpico di Vicenza. Abroad she has appeared at Konzerthaus Berlin, at Carnegie Hall in New York and in many other countries such as Sweden, Switzerland, France, England, Croatia, Lebanon, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Brazil, Mexico, China.
As soloist she has played with “Zagreb Soloists”, “La Verdi” in Milan, “I Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra”, “Sinfonica Abruzzese Orchestra”, “Orchestra della Toscana”, “Teatro Carlo Felice Orchestra”, “Serbian National Theater Orchestra of Novi Sad”, “Kodaly Philarmonic Orchestra Debrecen”, “Orquestra Sinfonica del Estado del Mèxico”.
She has collaborated with Gidon Kremer, Sir András Schiff, Christian Tetzlaff, Antonio Meneses, Mario Brunello, Augustin Dumay, Louis Lortie, Miguel Da Silva, Massimo Quarta, Bruno Giuranna, Salvatore Accardo, Julius Berger, Andrea Lucchesini, Robert McDuffie.
Erica currently studies with J.P.Maintz at the Universitat der Kunste in Berlin. She began her studies with Francesco Storino, graduated at the S. Cecilia Conservatory in Rome, and then continued her studies with Antonio Meneses at the Hochschule der Kunste in Bern, the W. Stauffer Academy in Cremona and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. She then got her Master of Music degree with Frans Helmerson and the “Professional Studies” course at the Kronberg Academy.
Erica Piccotti plays an Ettore Soffritti cello, 1925, Ferrara.
Erica Piccotti plays a cello by Ettore Soffritti, Ferrara, 1925
