…together with the young conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the cellist Giovanni Gnocchi in Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D major showed technical brilliance and visible joy in music making…
(Kronen Zeitung, Salzburg)

The Salzburg-based Italian cellist Giovanni Gnocchi made his debut as soloist at the Hong Kong Arts Festival in a concert together with Yo-Yo Ma, who said: “a wonderfully talended cellist, who will make a valuable contribution to music wherever he goes”.

He performed as a soloist under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, Christopher Hogwood, Carlo Rizzi, Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli, Alexander Lonquich, Pavle Despalj, Alexander Shelley, Daniel Cohen, Michele Spotti, Enrico Bronzi, Daniele Giorgi, at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Wiener Konzerthaus, Mozart-Woche in the Großer Saal of Mozarteum in Salzburg, Essen Philharmonie, Kurhaus Wiesbaden, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Rosengarten Mannheim and many more.

In these years he has been playing as a soloist with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, Orchestra della Toscana of Florence, Filarmonica of Teatro La Fenice in Venezia and he’s been soloist in residence for 3 years with Orchestra Rossini of Pesaro under Daniele Agiman. He made his debut conductor and soloist in 2019 with Orchestra Giovanile Italiana and after playing at the Beethovenfest of Bonn with Orchestra da Camera di Mantova he was immediately invited again by the orchestra for further appearances as soloist and conductor. Last year he organized a tour in Italy with the Italian première of the Fantasia op. 52 by Mieczysław Weinberg.

Passionate chamber player, he appeared together with Leonidas Kavakos, the Hagen Quartet’s members, Elizabeth Leonskaja, Ilya Gringolts, Alena Baeva, Liza Ferschtman, Alasdair Beatson, Oliver Triendl, Vadym Kholodenko, Cristian Budu, Itamar Golan, Marco Rizzi, Wolfram Christ, Pavel Gililov. He played at the Casals Festival a Prades, Verbier Festival, Septembre Musical Montreux-Vevey, Festival Radio-France-Montepellier, Haydn Festspiele in Eisenstadt and he’s regularly invited by Steven Isserlis at Open Chamber Music Festival in Prussia Cove in Cornwall.
Most recently he played recitals with Andrea Lucchesini and Roberto Cominati, at the Lucerne Festival in trio with Olli Mustonen and Alessandro Carbonare, played in Japan in the inauguration of the new Ark-Nova Concert Hall, in Singapore at the Esplanade, a solo cello recital in the Hong Kong City Hall and he’s been invited to the Delft Music Festival in Holland, KotorArt Festival in Montenegro, Festival Musikdorf Ernen in Switzerland, Ljubljana Cello Fest in Slovenia, Ilumina Festival in Brazil, Järna Music Festival in Sweden.

Winner of the 1st Prize in the “F. J. Haydn” Competition of Vienna, of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship of London (both with David Trio), he was laureate in the Prague Spring Cello Competition, Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Zagreb, and in duo with Mariangela Vacatello at the Parkhouse Award of London at the Wigmore Hall.

Giovanni has been Solo-Cellist of Camerata Salzburg for 8 years, Guest Principal Cellist in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London with Daniele Gatti, guest principal in the Münchner Philharmoniker, Mahler Chamber Orchestra Philharmonia Orchestra of London, Orchestra Mozart with Claudio Abbado and co-principal cellist in the London Symphony with Valery Gergiev.
Since 2008 he has been member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, with Claudio Abbado.

In 2012 he has been appointed as Univ. Professor of Violoncello at the Universität Mozarteum of Salzburg.
Born in Cremona, Giovanni studied with Luca Simoncini, Mario Brunello, Rocco Filippini, Enrico Bronzi, Natalia Gutman, David Geringas, Steven Isserlis, Clemens Hagen, Heinrich Schiff, Ferenc Rados and Sir András Schiff.

When the music speak for itself

…particulary moving was Giovanni Gnocchi’s interpretation.
The cellist played in a simple way, but at the same time extremely profoundly, and he gave space to the music to speak from itself.
Main Post Würzburg

…the cellist Giovanni Gnocchi let also himself be carried on the wings of the singing lines, with quiet devotion and big shyness before Pathos.…

Mahneimer-Morgen

…Taneev came with his Canzona for Violoncello and Orchestra, interpreted by Giovanni Gnocchi with such a consciousness in the style as beauty of his sound.

…he underlined the melancholy, but not sweetish character this extremely discreet piece…

Wiesbadenkurier