In 1990, following extensive work with specialist ensembles including Les Musiciens du Louvre and The English Concert, Biondi founded Europa Galante, which quickly became the foremost Italian period ensemble. Biondi and his ensemble have forged a reputation for “fresh, vibrant performances” (New York Times) and breathe new life into Baroque, Classical and early Romantic repertoire, performing at leading international festivals and stages including recently the Berlin Pierre Boulez Saal, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Wiener Konzerthaus, Enescu Festival and Edinburgh International Festival.
Biondi brings this authentic and engaging approach to modern symphony and chamber orchestras, which he both conducts and directs from the violin. Recent and future highlights include the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, RAI Torino, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Mahler Chamber orchestras and the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg. He was Artistic Director for Baroque Music at the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra for eleven years until 2016.
Biondi’s passion for opera takes him to major houses including Zurich Opera, Berlin's Staatsoper unter den Linden and in 2020 to the Grand Théâtre de Genève for Luk Perceval's new production of Mozart Die Entführung aus dem Serail. He was Music Director 2015–18 of Valencia's Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, where he conducted productions of Donizetti, Rossini, Haydn and Verdi Il Corsaro. As a violinist, he is respected as a virtuoso “beyond reproach” (The Guardian), performing in recital across the world including at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Auditorio Nacional de Música Madrid and Cité de la Musique.
His broad discography on Warner Classics, Virgin and Glossa has earned Biondi numerous awards, including the Diapason d'Or de l’Année and Choc de Musique; his widely acclaimed recording with Europa Galante of Vivaldi Four Seasons was named Disc of the Year by organizations in over five countries; and he has recorded with Joyce DiDonato, Diana Damrau, Philippe Jaroussky, Vivica Genaux and Rolando Villazón. His recent recording of 'Paganini Sonatas for Violin and Guitar' was named Editor's Choice by Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine.
Biondi has been an academician of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia since 2011, he was named in 2015 an Officer of the National Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture, and in 2019 was awarded the medal of Courage and Veracity by the Polish Government, in recognition of outstanding cultural achievements. He plays an Andrea Guarneri and a 1766 Carlo Ferdinando Gagliano, owned by his teacher Maestro Salvatore Cicero and kindly lent to him by the Salvatore Cicero Foundation in Palermo, where he was born.
2020/21 season / 501 words. Not to be altered without permission.