Francisco Fullana, violin
Spanish-born violinist Francisco Fullana, winner of a 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant, , has been hailed as a "rising star" (BBC Music Magazine), an "amazing talent" (conductor Gustavo Dudamel), and "a paragon of delicacy" (San Francisco Classical Voice). His solo violin album Bach’s Long Shadow was named BBC Music Magazine’s Instrumental Choice of the Month. Its five-star review stated: ‘Fullana manages to combine Itzhak Perlman's warmth with the aristocratic poise of Henryk Szeryng.’
As a soloist, he has performed with numerous ensembles across the artistic spectrum: from major orchestras such as the City of Birmingham, Vancouver, Bayerische Philharmonie, Aachen, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Pacific, Buffalo Philharmonic and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, to the baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire and the cutting-edge Metropolis Ensemble. Francisco has worked under the batons of Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Colin Davis, Hans Graf, Alondra de la Parra, Christoph Poppen, Jeannette Sorrell, and Joshua Weilerstein, among many others.
Highlights of Francisco’s performing schedule for this year include an England tour with the Cleveland-based Baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire, where he was artist-in-residence last year and released the album Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Rediscovered as a soloist; and solo engagements with Tucson Symphony as Artist-in-Residence, Balearic Islands, Málaga & Madrid (ORCAM), San Antonio Orchestras and the Stanford Philharmonia.
Francisco will embark on a European summer 2024 tour with the Spanish National Youth Symphony JONDE, premiering and recording a new concerto by Mikel Urkiza under the baton of Pablo Gónzalez. Francisco will also perform with orchestras such as Austin, Balearic Islands and Pasadena Symphonies, as well as the Argentina’s National Symphony and Rosario Symphony. An enthuasiast of conductorless leading both for concertos and symphonies, he will lead performances with the LA chamber Orchestra, Balearic Islands symphony Orchestra, San Antonio’s Classical Music Institute, and a return to the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Looking ahead, Francisco will also continue championing new works by Latin composers, premiering a new concerto by Gabriela Lena Frank across both continents.
A recording artist for Orchid Classics, Francisco has released four albums on the English label to critical acclaim. His most recent one, Spanish Light, was released in July and features Spanish classics and just received 5 stars from the BBC Music Magazine. His catalog focuses on his Spanish roots and Fullana’s love for the connections between Baroque playing and modern works. From solo Bach to Four Seasons’ recomposition with the legendary City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. His upcoming album with German pianist Matthias Kirchnerheit will be released next year and will feature a Slavic set of sonatas combining masterworks and hidden gems alike.
Born into a family of educators, Francisco began his musical training in his hometown of Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He later graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, where he matriculated under the tutelage of Manuel Guillén. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School following studies with Donald Weilerstein and Masao Kawasaki. He holds an Artist Diploma from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he worked with the renowned violinist Midori. He has received major first prizes in international competitions such as the Angel Munetsugu and Johannes Brahms’ International Violin Competitions, as well as the 2015 Pro Musicis Award.
A committed educator, Francisco co-founded San Antonio’s Classical Music Summer Institute and has served as its Chamber Music Director since 2016. He also created the Fortissimo Youth Initiative, a series of Baroque and Classical music seminars and performances with youth orchestras to explore and deepen their understanding of 18th-century music.
Francisco currently performs on the 1735 "Mary Portman" ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Gesù violin, kindly on loan from Clement and Karen Arrison through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.