DYNAMIKfest Chicago 2026 | Mozartiana

DYNAMIKfest Chicago and the Italian Cultural Institute present an evening dedicated to the great W. A. Mozart.

Program: Mozartiana

F. X. Mozart – Sonata in B-Flat Major, Op. 7
S. Jani – Cadenza (DYNAMIKfest Commission – US premiere)
L. V. Beethoven – 10 Variations on “La stessa, la stessissima” by A. Salieri, WoO73
F. Kreisler – Recitativo and Scherzo for Solo Violin
G. Sollima – Trazom
A. Beach – Romance for Violin and Piano
G. Gershwin – 3 Preludes for Violin and Piano, arr. by Jascha Heifetz

Violinist Clarissa Bevilacqua is known to enchant audiences with her deeply inspiring musicality, and her playing has been described as “luminously elevated” (Gramophone) and “elegant and nimble” (The Strad). Clarissa has made several highly anticipated debuts as a soloist, most notably with the Münchner Symphoniker and the Münchener Kammerorchester, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Cape Symphony, Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra della Toscana, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, as well as at the opening concert of Mozartwoche with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg. She has performed in some of the world’s most renowned venues, including the Isarphilharmonie, Schloss Elmau, Beethovensaal Stuttgart, Teatro Filarmonico in Verona, Elbphilharmonie, Prince Mahidol Hall in Bangkok, Théâtre des ChampsÉlysées in Paris, and Victoria Hall in Geneva. She also performs regularly in a trio with cellist Giovanni Sollima and pianist Carlotta Maestrini. Her debut solo album, Mozartiana, was released in 2026 by Berlin Classics, in collaboration with Bayerischer Rundfunk, and featured three newly commissioned works. Her album featuring Augusta Read Thomas complete works for solo violin and the world premiere of her Concerto #3: ‘Juggler in Paradise’, was released by Nimbus Records in collaboration with BBC Radio 3. Through her close collaborations with contemporary composers, several new works have been written for and dedicated to her, including Sun Plaits by Augusta Read Thomas, Clarissa’s Tango and Colombinaby Richard Blackford, and Trazomby Giovanni Sollima. Beyond performing, Clarissa is the founder and Artistic Director of DYNAMIKfest Salzburg and DYNAMIKfest Chicago, an annual translatlantic chamber music festival dedicated to championing internationally renowned artists and composers under 30. The first festival of its kind, it forges an artistic connection between Europe and the United States, breaking down cultural borders. Winner of several international violin competitions, Clarissa was awarded First Prize, Audience Award and Special Bärenreiter Award at the International Mozart Competition Salzburg. She was also awarded the Grand Prize at the Cape Symphony International Violin Concerto Competition, and second place at the Monte-Carlo Music Masters. She was the winner of the open application Classeek Ambassador Program joining their artist roster. She is currently a laureate of the prestigious Fondation Gautier Capuçon. Clarissa received her Bachelor of Music at age sixteen, graduating summa cum laude. She completed her Master of Music in Violin Performance at the Mozarteum University Salzburg with Pierre Amoyal, and two Masters of Violin Solo Performance at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin with Antje Weithaas.

Martina Consonni is one of the most luminous pianists of her generation — an artist whose playing is defined by rare poetic intelligence, an instinct for listening, and a technical mastery that is never an end in itself.

Since her debut with orchestra at the age of ten with the Bacau Philharmonic, she has performed at Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London, the Philharmonie in Berlin, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Tonhalle Zürich, deSingel Antwerp, Shanghai Concert Hall, NCPA Mumbai, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. A sought-after presence at the world’s leading festivals — Klavier Festival Ruhr, Lugano Musica, Bologna Festival, MiTo Settembremusica, Kronberg Festival, Rheingau Festival, Lingotto Musica, Società dei Concerti in Milan — she brings to every context the same quality of attention: music as dialogue, not display.

It was the intimacy of chamber music that first revealed to her what music could truly be. Her particular gift for listening has since drawn her into collaboration with artists including Gautier Capuçon, Steven Isserlis, Tabea Zimmermann, Diyang Mei, Enrico Bronzi, and Ani Kavafian. Recently, she co-founded Trio Clara with violinist Sarah Jégou-Sageman and cellist Anouchka Hack — an ensemble that has already won First Prize at the Virtuoso & Belcanto Competition Festival and is rapidly establishing itself on the international chamber music scene.

As a soloist, she has performed with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Dresden Philharmonic, Bochum Symphoniker, Heilbronner Kammerorchester, Colibrì Orchestra, L’Appassionata, and Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich under conductors including Sir András Schiff, Louis Langrée, Anna Rakitina, Howard Griffiths, and Holly Choe.

Recent highlights include a tour with the ORT – Orchestra della Toscana under Diego Ceretta performing Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, debut performances with the Tonkünstler-Orchester — including Casella’s Scarlattiana alongside Cosette Justo Valdés — and appearances with Camerata Schweiz at Zürich’s Tonhalle and Luzern’s KKL in Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.466. She has also given solo recitals for the Società del Quartetto di Milano and for Neumarkter Konzertfreunde, this one recorded by Bayerischer Rundfunk.

Winner of more than 55 first prizes in international competition, Martina has received the Daniele Gay Prize for best young Italian talent and the Roscini-Padalino Award from Perugia Musica Classica. She is a laureate of the Fondation Gautier Capuçon and has received scholarships from De Sono, Freunde Junger Musiker Berlin, and Villa Musica. In the 2023–24 season she was selected for Sir András Schiff’s Building Bridges series and the Classeek Ambassador Programme, performing across Europe’s most celebrated venues and festivals.

Her discography includes recordings for Warner Classics and Movimento Classical (Bartok Studios). Her most recent album, a piano trio recording with violinist Sarah Jégou-Sageman and cellist Jeein You, received five-star reviews, with BBC Music Magazine praising her “luminous piano playing” and the trio’s “outstanding ensemble artistry.” Her upcoming album for Alpha Classics, due for release in early 2027, will feature Haydn’s Piano Concerto with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe alongside a selection of his piano sonatas.

Born in Como, Italy, Martina began her musical journey at an early age, graduating with honours at just fourteen — the youngest prizewinner of the Casella Award at the prestigious Premio Venezia, a distinction that brought an invitation to perform at the Quirinal Palace by former President Giorgio Napolitano. She later pursued advanced studies with Enrico Pace, Arie Vardi, and András Schiff, earning multiple Master’s degrees and an Artist Diploma from the Imola International Academy “Incontri col Maestro,” the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, and the Kronberg Academy, supported by the Henle Scholarship from the Horizon Foundation.

At DYNAMIKfest, we reimagine the classical music industry by presenting a more responsible and resilient model for performers and audience members – one that unites sustainability with artistry at the highest level. Our mission is rooted in the belief that an environmentally conscious, community-oriented music festival can help shape meaningful cultural change, especially when spearheaded by the energy and vision of young, ambitious musicians from all around the world. Through extended artist residencies, partnerships with local schools and social organizations, and a commitment to low-waste practices, we cultivate deeper relationships between musicians and the communities they perform in.
With this in mind, DYNAMIKfest enters Chicago’s already vibrant artistic landscape with the promise to create a platform where classical music can be daringly creative, forward-thinking and socially responsible.

For more information, please visit: https://www.seenworldwide.org/dynamikfest-chicago