Annalisa Maria Monticelli, Pianist
Francesca De Nardi was born in 1991 in Trieste. Coming from a musical family - her dad was a pianist, organist and choir conductor and taught her during the first years - she graduated in 2012 with full marks at the "Conservatorio G. Tartini" (Trieste, Italy) under the guidance of Paolo Bidoli, then continuing her studies with Federico Consoli and focusing on the chamber repertoire. As a child she also embarked on a violin journey, graduating in 2017 at the same Conservatory, under the guidance of Sinead Nava. In June 2019 she attained her Masters in Violin with Karl Sweeney at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (Dublin, Ireland). In 2015 she also got a Master’s Degree in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Udine (Udine, Italy), with the highest honors, before devoting herself entirely to the musical career. In 2016 she started playing as a duo with the cellist Davide Forti, studying with internationally renowned musicians such as Daniel Rowland, Trio di Parma, Maja Bogdanovic, RTÉ ConTempo Quartet. They performed in numerous concert venues (National Concert Hall, National Gallery of Ireland) and took part to various festivals (Kaleidoscope Night, Music for Wexford, Music in Calary, Dublin Jazz Co-Op concert series, Cividale International Mastercourses). Established in Dublin, they have been awarded many prizes, such as the 1st prize at the Feis Ceoil 2021 (Elsner Memorial Cup) and 1st prize at the IMKA International Music Competition 2019. "Sonas" is a tribute to the land that hosted them: it means "happiness" in Gaelic, but it also recalls the Latin verb "sonare", combining their love for music in a single concept. They are currently under the Professional Mentorship programme at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, coached by William Butt and Lance Coburn. Francesca currently carries out an intense activity as an accompanist both in Italy and in Ireland and collaborates as a violinist in various orchestras and chamber groups.
