Biography
A pupil of renowned cellists Patrick Demenga and Antonio Meneses, Italian cellist Fulvia Mancini completed her training with Maria Kliegel, and in 2005 joined the first incarnation of Riccardo Muti’s Luigi Cherubini Orchestra. Between 2005 and 2010, she obtained two Master Degree’s from the Haute Écoles de Musique de Suisse, and graduated from the University of Bologna with a degree in Law and in Cultur Management from the University in Zurich.
In 2011, she became Principal Cello in Pierre Amoyal’s Camerata de Lausanne, with whom she recorded and released Mozart’s Concertone Grosso (Warner Classics, 2012). Reviews of her performance in London read: “the cello part, less prominent and seemingly without much complexity, does have moments of technical difficulty, and Mancini brings to it an ideal dexterity and clear focus particularly in awkward string crossings”.
In 2013, Ms. Mancini performed as Principal cello of the Camerata Lausanne with the Moscow Virtuosi under the direction of Vladimir Spivakov at the International House of Music. Additionally, she earned First Prize at the Rassegna Musicale M. Benvenuti of Vittorio Veneto, Second Prize at the Torneo Internazionale della Musica, and Virtuosité Prize at the Padova International AGIMUS Competition.
Ms. Mancini also played concerts directed by Sir Roger Norrington and Daniel Hope and between 2015-2018 she lead the artistic direction of the Festival Regina Musica al Castello.
Ms. Mancini performed as soloist with the Hokkaido University Orchestra in the Sapporo Sun Plaza Hall in 2016, while also giving masterclasses with her husband, cellist Massimiliano Martinelli.
Together with her husband they formed a Cello Duo known as “Mr & Mrs Cello” in 2017, a crossover project aimed at bringing classical/pop cello music to younger generations. They have so far published five books of arrangements of popular music for two cellos with the American publishing house Hal-Leonard which are available all over the world at major music stores.
In 2018 she performed Gulda Cello Concerto with the Stadtharmonie in Winterthur.
Ms. Mancini performed as part of the string quartet with famous pop singer Anastacia at her concert in Basel, Switzerland in October, 2019.
These original arrangements range from the Classical Two-Part Inventions by Bach (their recording of this album currently has over 5 million views on YouTube), to the virtuosic works of Paganini, to the neoclassical music of Ludovico Einaudi all the way to the popular rock music of Nirvana and Amy Winehouse. The arrangements that Mr and Mrs. Cello have composed and performed together are not only responsible for bringing the cello to a wider audience but are no doubt responsible for encouraging the next generation of cellists the world over to pick up the instrument for the first time.
With this experience, Fulvia Mancini has developed a passion for composing and between 2020 and 2023 she wrote three Cello duets and two Cello Solo pieces published by Halidonmusic. In 2022 she published her first album "Passionate Cello and Piano Works" with Benjamin Engeli.
Throughout her career, Ms. Mancini performed across Europe, Korea and China, collaborating with famous conductors such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Kurt Masur, Rudolf Barshai, and Leonidas Kavakos.
Eager to transfer her passion to others, Ms. Mancini is teaching cello in Switzerland and plays an English cello dated circa 1780.
Massimiliano
Martinelli
Italian cellist Massimiliano Martinelli is one of the most talented musicians on the international scene today. His album “Bach – Complete Cello Suites”, published under the Halidonmusic label, quickly surpassed 4 million views on YouTube after its initial release – making it one of the most popular recordings of the Bach Suites for Solo Cello on the platform.
He made his solo debut in 2007 at the Ravenna Festival in Italy where he performed the “Concerto Grosso for Three Cellos and Orchestra” by Krzysztof Penderecki, under the baton of the composer himself. Since then, he has performed at numerous concert festivals throughout Europe and Asia performing many of the most beloved works in the repertoire – including both of Haydn's Concertos, the Schumann Concerto the first Shostakovich Concerto, as well as Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme.
His discography, published under the Halidon label, includes in addition to the Bach Suites, Reger’s 3 Suites, Cassado’s Suite and Kodaly’s Solo Sonata.
A passionate teacher since his early teens, he has for the past decade been asked to hold masterclasses at various locations around the world, including at the ZHDK in Zurich, Switzerland; the University of Hokkaido in Japan; several Italian Conservatories, and the Conservatory of Zurich. Since 2019 he has been Cello Professor at the ‘Puccini’ Conservatory in Gallarate, Italy.
Together with his solo work, Massimiliano has years of orchestral experience serving as Principal Cellist with various orchestras. At the age of 23 he was chosen by Maestro Riccardo Muti for the position of Principal Cellist in the Cherubini Orchestra, where he collaborated for with Maestro Muti for three years - performing in several tours throughout Europe and performing as soloist under Muti in some of the most prestigious halls in Europe including the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna.
In 2010 he won the audition for Principal Cello of the Zurich Opera Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Daniele Gatti and maintained this role until 2016. From 2016 to 2019 he was invited to play with several prestigious orchestras including the Teatro alla Scala, Teatro di San Carlo and the Luzern Sinfonieorchester.
Together with his wife they formed a Cello Duo known as “Mr & Mrs Cello” in 2017 with the intent of expanding their musical reach to new audiences as well as to explore different musical genres and repertoire.
In 2019 he won the audition at the Arena Foundation in Verona where he held the solo chair position until 2022. Massimiliano completed his studies first in Italy at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome in the class of Francesco Strano and then later in Switzerland, at the Musik- Akademie in Basel under the guidance of Ivan Monighetti, where he studied the Russian school of Rostropovich. He is a prize winner in 33 national and international competitions: in 2004 he won the First Prize in the seventh edition of the "Internationaler Wettbewerb für Violoncello" in Liezen (Austria), in 2006 he won the First Prize at the European Cello Competition "Arturo Bonucci" and he also won the Fifth Prize at the International Cello Competition "Gyeongnam International Music Competition Isang Yun in Memoriam" in South Korea.
Today, he lives in Switzerland with his wife and young daughter and plays a cello made in London in 1780 by Joseph Hill.
