Spanish violinist Francina moved to London after receiving a scholarship to study at the Purcell School of Music with Evgeny Grach. Francina continued on to the Royal College of Music where she obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s degree studying with professors Radu Blidar and Natasha Boyarsky.
Francina has performed widely across Europe, playing in prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre, amongst others. She regularly collaborates with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and Catalonia National Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, the Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife and the Symphony Orchestra of the Balearic Islands. Francina has been invited to perform at the Chipping Camden Festival in the UK, at the Aurora Festival in Sweden and with the 24/04 World Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia.
A keen advocate of contemporary music, Francina often works closely with composers, premiering and recording their works. She premiered Sketch, a piece for solo violin by Austrian composer Thomas Wally at the Soundings Academy of Contemporary Music. She has also recorded film scores, most recently for La Lune Folle at Abbey Road Studios.
Francina is grateful for the kind support she received during her studies from the Abbado European Young Musician’s Trust, the Loan Fund for Musical Instruments, EMI Music Foundation, RCM Instrument Loan Fund, Fundación Internacional para la difusión de las Artes y Humanidades, Talent Unlimited and the Kathleen Trust. In 2015, Francina was awarded the Kenneth Loveland Gift.
What is your favourite piece of music, and why do you love it?
I cannot say I have a favourite piece of music, but some works are particularly special to me such as Bach’s Chaconne for Solo Violin or Prokofiev´s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano. I love them because they were composed at particularly difficult times in the lives of the composers, who found in creating these works the only form to express their feelings. I find them extremely moving, and the perfection of the writing for the instruments is complemented by an incredible power of imagery that really transports whoever listens to the music into the composer´s world. I believe that this is art in its top form.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us
I had a small role in a film made in London, for which I also played violin. La Lune Folle was premiered at Cannes Film Festival and I played and recorded the score of the film at Abbey Road Studios in London. My character in the film was called Josephine. I also took part in some other smaller films in the UK. I would not say I am an actress but I have really enjoyed my past experiences. It also fascinates me to record film music and work with film composers. I will very soon be working with Alexandre Desplat, for which I am terribly excited.
What do you do with your time when you’re not playing music?
I enjoy spending time with friends and love films, literature, museums and tennis. I am interested in languages, travelling and getting to know other countries and cultures.