Viol Player André Lislevand Wins Inaugural I Virtuosi Italiani Vivaldi Prize

Lislevand receives a scholarship of €1,000, as well as two concert appearances

Given to players who have performed with the ensemble I Virtuosi Italiani, and aims to support musicians who are in the establishing stage of their careers, the inaugural Premio Vivaldi (Vivaldi Prize) was given to Norwegian-Italian viol player André Lislevand.

Lislevand receives a scholarship valued at €1,000, as well as two concert appearances with I Virtuosi Italiani across separate seasons. The prize was awarded at a ceremony on September 12, 2024, at which Lislevand and I Virtuosi performed works by Vivaldi, Telemann, and Barrière.

In 2024, the jury for the award comprised Corrado Rovaris, Pier Carlo Orizio, Susanna Stefani Caetani, Paolo Pollastri, and Alberto Martini. They commended Lislevand on his "strong interpretative and technical skills, but also for his great personality — with which he can immediately win over the public, and communicate with them on social media."

Born in Verona in 1993 to lutenist parents, André Lislevand has appeared with groups including Ensemble Kapsberger, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and the Münchner Phillharmoniker, in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Gasteig München Philarmonie, and Muziekgebouw Amsterdam.

He studied with Paolo Pandolfo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland, and then with Vittorio Ghielmi at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

2021 saw the release of Lislevand's first album, Forqueray — which received critical acclaim, as well as a Diapason Découverte award.

Founded in 1989, the Virtuosi Italiani has performed in venues including La Scala, the Teatro La Fenice, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. They have also released more than 100 recordings, and sales of these have exceeded 400,000.