I was born in 1998 to a physicist and a flute teacher, who started to make me listen to classical music when I was still in the womb but never pushed me to start studying an instrument. Just before my fourth Christmas, I asked Santa Claus if he could please gift me a violin, and he kindly satisfied my request. In spite of this early beginning, it took me several years to start taking the violin more seriously.
When I was 10, I entered in the Juniorchestra (an orchestral project for children and teenagers of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, in Rome) and that was probably the moment when I started to appreciate music more seriously; performing symphonic repertoire made me discover how much more there was to music that I could enjoy, and the sense of community the orchestra created was very new and welcome to me.
A couple of years after my admission in the Juniorchestra I entered in the Conservatoire of Rome, where I studied for seven years. Unfortunately this period was marked by very frequent changes of teachers, which had a bit of a destabilising effect on me, but with the help of teachers outside the Conservatoire (in particular Ruggiero Sfregola and Roberto Gonzalez Monjas, to both of whom I am very grateful) I finally graduated with honours in the summer of 2017. In the same year I auditioned for the Master in Performance course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, obtaining a place in Maestro Krzysztof Smietana’s class.
Studying at the Guildhall was a collection of very important experiences for me. I learned to work more systematically and to define my goals more clearly. I also covered a considerable amount of repertoire, between chamber music and symphonic works, discovering many new genres. I received my first scholarships, one generously given by the Guildhall itself and another one kindly provided by the Albert Cooper Trust, after an audition. This was all fundamental for my introduction to professional life, because after completing my master’s I really believed that becoming a professional musician was achievable for me, something in which I had secretly lacked faith for a very long time.
Outside of music, I enjoy reading of history, technology (in particular robotics and artificial intelligence), anthropology, psychology, astrophysics, and martial arts, usually on the internet. I also enjoy videogames, board games, playing with my dogs, and exercising.
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
London, UK
Where’s your favourite place to listen to music and why?
A concert hall, because it is where I find it easiest to relax and let my focus go only on the music. For me, there are few opportunities of self-care with the same intensity of going to a hall, sitting down, and focusing only on whatever story is being told on the stage. It is an excellent method to calm whatever anxieties I have in that moment, and a great source of inspiration and motivation.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.
In some rare occasions, verses form in my head, and I write them down. I never show them to anyone, but sometimes I read through them. For me, it is a bit like going through an album of old photos, containing pictures of my past states of mind.
Lorenzo is a member of the 2020-2021 fellowship.