Biography
Violinist Francisco Fullana displays remarkable range through extensive work in both standard classical works and historically informed early-music programs. Born in 1990 in Palma de Mallorca within Spain’s Balearic Islands, he has continued to appear regularly in his native region; both parents worked as teachers. His initial instruction came from Bernat Pomar, after which he attended the Royal Conservatory in Madrid under Manuel Guillén. Recognized early as a prodigy within Spain, Fullana relocated independently at age sixteen to New York, entering the Juilliard School without family accompaniment. Over the following eight years he trained successively with Donald Weilerstein and Masao Kawasaki, completing his studies with Midori at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where he received an Artist’s Diploma.
First-prize victories at Japan’s Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in 2015, together with top honors at the Johannes Brahms and Julio Cardona International Violin Competitions, established his professional trajectory. He has appeared throughout Europe and the United States, performing with the Bayerische Philharmonie under Sir Colin Davis and with Venezuela’s Teresa Carreño Orchestra led by Gustavo Dudamel, an important early supporter of his development. Fullana’s first recording, the 2018 Orchid Classics release Through the Lens of Time, presented works by Max Richter, Alfred Schnittke, Isang Yun, and Salvador Brotons.
As a chamber musician he has partnered with pianist Matthias Kirschnereit and others at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Gezeitenkonzerte Festivals. In the United States he has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, among additional ensembles, with further orchestral debuts planned as of late 2021. That same year he was appointed artist-in-residence with the period-instrument ensemble Apollo’s Fire for its thirtieth-anniversary season, which included extensive touring. Also in 2021 he issued Bach’s Long Shadow on Orchid Classics, an album singled out as Instrumental Choice of the Month by BBC Music Magazine; later that year he transferred to the Avie label for a recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Apollo’s Fire.
First-prize victories at Japan’s Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in 2015, together with top honors at the Johannes Brahms and Julio Cardona International Violin Competitions, established his professional trajectory. He has appeared throughout Europe and the United States, performing with the Bayerische Philharmonie under Sir Colin Davis and with Venezuela’s Teresa Carreño Orchestra led by Gustavo Dudamel, an important early supporter of his development. Fullana’s first recording, the 2018 Orchid Classics release Through the Lens of Time, presented works by Max Richter, Alfred Schnittke, Isang Yun, and Salvador Brotons.
As a chamber musician he has partnered with pianist Matthias Kirschnereit and others at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Gezeitenkonzerte Festivals. In the United States he has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, among additional ensembles, with further orchestral debuts planned as of late 2021. That same year he was appointed artist-in-residence with the period-instrument ensemble Apollo’s Fire for its thirtieth-anniversary season, which included extensive touring. Also in 2021 he issued Bach’s Long Shadow on Orchid Classics, an album singled out as Instrumental Choice of the Month by BBC Music Magazine; later that year he transferred to the Avie label for a recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Apollo’s Fire.
Albums
