VC Artist Francisco Fullana Receives Festival Napa Valley's 2023 Khaledi Prize

As well as winning a $10,000 prize, Fullana will perform at the festival alongside vocalist Matteo Bocelli

Established in 2017, the Festival Napa Valley's Darioush and Shahpar Khaledi Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Classical Music is given annually to a young performer who has demonstrated both excellence in their performance and an innovative attitude in their programming or approach.

As the 2023 recipient, VC Artist and violinist Francisco Fullana will receive a prize of $10,000, as well as the opportunity to perform alongside vocalist Matteo Bocelli in one of the festival's concerts — which is set to take place on July 15, 2023.

Past winners of the Khaledi Prize include Tessa Lark, Nia Imani Franklin, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Nadine Sierra, and Aldo López-Gavilán.

"[I am] so thankful and honored to receive Festival Napa Valley’s 2023 Khaledi Prize," wrote Fullana on social media. "I cannot wait to play some of my beloved Sarasate for the season opener! See you soon, Napa!"

Born in Mallorca, Fullana graduated from The Juilliard School and the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where he studied with Donald Weilerstein, Masao Kawasaki, and Midori. He is a former first-prize winner at the Julio Cardona, Munetsugu Angel, and Johannes Brahms International Violin Competitions.

He won the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and was Artist in Residence with the renowned Baroque ensemble Apollo's Fire for the 2021/22 season.

Fullana has appeared as a soloist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bayerische Philharmonie, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Vancouver Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Spanish Radio Television Orchestra, among others.

Along with his growing performing career, his Fortissimo Youth Initiative, a series of music seminars and performances with youth orchestras, aims aim to explore and deepen young musicians’ understanding of 18th-century music.