Marina Piccinini

"underlying delicate sensuality"
Instrumentalists — Flute

Manager: Mark Z. Alpert
Management Territory: Worldwide

"Marina Piccinini's flute-playing is very special, her lyrical phrasing cool, exquisitely shaped and with an underlying delicate sensuality." —GRAMOPHONE

"Marina Piccinini was the dazzling soloist, fully in command" —LONDON EVENING STANDARD

"Impressive and beautifully regulated power" —THE NEW YORK TIMES

About

Widely recognized as one of the world’s leading flute virtuosos, flutist MARINA PICCININI combines flawless technical command, profound interpretive instincts, and a charismatic stage presence -- qualities which make each of her performances a memorable event.

Since making her acclaimed debuts in New York’s Town Hall, London’s Southbank Centre, and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Ms. Piccinini has been in demand both as a recitalist and soloist with orchestras in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan. She has been soloist with the the Boston Symphony Orchestra . . . , the London Philharmonic, the Tokyo Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Montreal Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony , Minnesota Orchestra, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra; the Hannover Symphony in Germany, the Ravenna Chamber Orchestra in Italy and the Vienna Chamber Soloists; as well as the Cincinnati, New World, Toronto, Vancouver, Phoenix, Tucson, and Milwaukee symphony orchestras, and has worked with such conductors as Alan Gilbert, Seiji Ozawa, Kurt Masur, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Slatkin, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Peter Oundjian, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Myung-whun Chung, and Gianandrea Noseda.

Ms. Piccinini also performs with great frequency in recitals worldwide, with recent appearances in London’s Wigmore Hall, Tokyo`s Casals Hall , the Kennedy Center in Washington, and the Mozart Saal in Vienna's Konzerthaus. Deeply committed to the music of the present, recent seasons have been highlighted by significant world premiere performances of concerti and solo works by Michael Colgrass, Paquito D’Rivera, Matthew Hindson, Miguel Kertsman, Lukas Foss, Michael Torke, John Harbison, Marc-André Dalbavie, and Roberto Sierra.

A frequent guest artist in Japan, Ms. Piccinini appeared with noted pianist Mitsuko Uchida in a series of concerts at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo and again at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall and Zankell Hall. Most recently she completed a European tour which included such prestigious halls as Amsterdam’s Concertgebow, Cologne’s Philharmonie and the Barbican Centre in London, and looks forward to upcoming appearances at the Salzburg Festival and at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

A devoted chamber musician, Marina Piccinini has collaborated with the Tokyo, Brentano, Mendelssohn, and Takács string quartets and with the Percussion ensemble Nexus. Ms. Piccinini is a regular participant at major summer festivals, including the Marlboro Festival, Mostly Mozart, Santa Fe, Spoleto (Italy), La Jolla, Newport, Davos, Tivoli, Rheingau, Moritzburg and Kuhmo and has toured on several occasions with Musicians from Marlboro. She has also performed (by personal invitation of Seiji Ozawa) at the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan. Ms. Piccinini has also appeared as Guest Principal Flute with the Boston Symphony and the New York Philharmonic.

Ms. Piccinini's latest CD recording is a collaboration with pianist Andreas Haefliger. of the Sonatas of Prokofiev and Franck for the British label Avie. Other recent recordings include “Belle Époque (Paris, 1880-1913)”, with pianist Anne Epperson, and a disc with pianist Eva Kupiec of Sonatas by Bartok, Martinu, Schulhoff, Dohnányi, and Taktakishvili, both for Claves Records. Later in 2010, Avie will release a double Cd set of the complete Flute Sonatas of J.S.Bach (including the solo Partita) in collaboration with the Braszl Guitar Duo.

Marina Piccinini’s career was launched when she won First Prize in the CBC Young Performers Competition in Canada, and a year later, First Prize in New York’s Concert Artists Guild International Competition. In 1989 she was cited by Musical America as a “Young Artist to Watch”, and in 1991 she became the first flutist to win the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant from Lincoln Center. She has been the recepient of numerous awards and grants including twice the NEA‘s Solo Recitalist Grant, the McMeenSmith Award, the BP Artists Career Award, and various grants from the Canada Council. She was also the winner in the New York Flute Club competition and the National Arts Club Competition.

Ms. Piccinini began her flute studies in Toronto with Jeanne Baxtresser and received her BM and MM degrees from the Juilliard school where she studied with the legendary flutist Julius Baker. She also worked with Aurele Nicolet in Switzerland. Ms. Piccinini frequently gives master classes around the world and in September, 2001, joined the faculty of the Peabody Institute. Ms. Piccinini is married to the pianist Andreas Haefliger; along with their daughter they divide their time between Vienna and New York. Ms. Piccinini is a 36th generation Shaolin Fighting Monk.