Roberto Cani Bio

Acclaimed throughout the music world as not just a performer, but an “artiste”, violinist Roberto Cani has continued to bring his art to the highest of levels, captivating and delighting audiences in the United States and abroad, since his solo debut at the Gaveau Hall in Paris.

Beginning his studies at the age of seven, Mr. Cani has been a first and grand prize winner of numerous competitions, including the Paganini International Competition in Genoa, the Courcillon International Competition, and the Jeunesses Musicales International Competition in Belgrade, where he also captured a special award for the best performance of a contemporary work.  In addition, he has been the winner of the Minetti Prize and received honors at the Tchaikovsky Competition.

Throughout his successful career as soloist, chamber musician and concertmaster, he has established himself as a versatile and respected artist worldwide.

Mr. Cani has performed throughout the United States as well as in Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Russia, Croatia, Belgium, Poland, Serbia, France, Taiwan, Japan and South Africa. He has appeared as soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic, the RAI Symphony (Italy), the Belgrade Philharmonic, Zagreb Soloists, Orchestra Haydn of Bolzano, the American Youth Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, the Missouri Chamber Orchestra and Symphony of the Americas.

His performances have been televised nationally for PBS, RAI in Italy, RB in Yugoslavia, NHK in Japan, ZDF in Germany and in Taiwan.  He has been featured on several occasions in radio broadcasts on both KMZT and KKGO in Los Angeles.  Other notable appearances include his widely acclaimed performance of the first concerti of Paganini and Szymanowski in Italy and his premiere of a piece by Polish composer, Gorecki, for violin and piano.

Mr. Cani has performed as guest concertmaster for the La Scala Philharmonic in Milan under the baton of Riccardo Muti. He was also invited by Vladimir Jurowski to be a guest concertmaster for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr. Cani has been appointed Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra in May 2011. As concertmaster of Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Mr. Cani is closely working with Placido Domingo and James Conlon among others.

Actively involved in chamber music, Mr. Cani has had the pleasure of touring with conductor and pianist Justus Frantz. He has also performed alongside Lynn Harrell, Jeffrey Swann, Jason Vieaux. Presently, he is the first violinist of the New Hollywood String Quartet and has an active presence in many west coast chamber music series. He has also participated in Chamber Music Festivals in Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, and the Canary Islands.

Mr. Cani has given master classes at many California Universities, among them those at the University of Southern California (USC), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA),s as well as playing and teaching at Summer Music Festivals in Positano, Italy and Hvar, Croatia, Music Festival in Prague.

Mr. Cani has recorded the Vivaldi “Four Seasons”, sonatas by Respighi and Busoni with pianist Jeffrey Swann, and the solo sonatas of Bartok, Ysaye, Bloch, and Prokofiev under the Arkadia and Agora labels.  His other recordings include the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, and a CD of favorite encores.

Mr. Cani is a graduate of the Milan Conservatory, the Gnessin Institute in Moscow, and the University of Southern California.  He has studied with world-renowned violinists Viktor Tretiakov and Abrahm Shtern.