Interview
When and where was your first concert with the MCO?
January 2019 in Treviso. We played Schumann 2 and 4 with Daniele Gatti. It has been a lovely project in northern Italy, which is more or less what I call home. Also, food and drinks are quite spectacular in Veneto… so everything started well!
What’s the best thing about playing with the MCO?
You feel completely free as an individual while being part of a collective musical entity. The awareness and engagement of each musician are probably creating the magic. Performing as part of the MCO is a quite unique and almost intoxicating experience: once you try it, you need it every time and it’s hard to live without it!
What is the most difficult aspect of your job?
Being brave enough to change, evolve and learn constantly
What is the best thing about being a musician?
Change, evolve and learn constantly!
What would you do if you weren't a musician?
I recently met a guy whose job was to build huge models at a LEGO Store: I would like to do that! If they don’t hire me, I would like to be a cook. If the clients sue me because of food poisoning, then I could try to be a carpenter.
Biography
Nicola was born in Ferrara in 1989, where he started playing the violin at the age of 11.
He later studied in Rome and Fiesole with Felice Cusano, in Weimar with Friedemann Eichhorn and in Berlin with Natalia Prischepenko.
Thomas Brandis, Lorenza Borrani, Boris Brovstyn and Alexandra Conunova played a major role in his understanding of violin playing.
He made his first orchestral experience in Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester in 2011-2012 and as a member of the Academy of the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin in 2013-2015, where he later joined the group of the first violins until 2018.
Since 2019 Nicola plays regularly with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and appeared as a guest in various European orchestras, among them Spira Mirabilis, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Orchestra Mozart.
As a very active chamber musician, he shared the stage with renowned musicians such as Boris Brovtsyn, Elisabeth Brauß, Gabriele Carcano, Alexandra Conunova, William Coleman, Nimrod Guez, Béatrice Muthelet, Enrico Pace, Matan Porat, Alexey Stadler, Nurit Stark, Stephen Waarts and many others.
As of 2020, he is a member of the board of Ferrara Musica and in April 2022 he has been appointed Assistant Artistic Director under Prof. Enzo Restagno.