A prizewinner at three of the most prestigious international violin competitions - the Tchaikovsky in Moscow, the Queen Elisabeth, and the Indianapolis - Marco Rizzi was early recognised as one of the most outstanding young violinists of his generation and was awarded the Europäischer Musikförderpreis on the recommendation of Claudio Abbado. Marco Rizzi is regarded as one of Italy’s finest musicians. He regularly appears in leading concert halls throughout Europe, working with renowned orchestras and eminent conductors. Due to his interest in unusual repertoire, he has frequently performed unknown masterpieces, as well as several 20th-century Italian sonatas and concertos that have been greatly appreciated by music-lovers and critics. Since 1999, Marco Rizzi has dedicated himself more and more intensively to teaching ; he leads an international class at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold. In October 2008, he was appointed to the Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim and since September 2007 he has also been a professor at the celebrated Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid. His students have been prizewinners in major international competitions. He also regularly serves as a juror in some of the most prestigious violin competitions, such as the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover and the Paganini Violin Competition (Genoa). Marco Rizzi plays the ‘Baron Knoop’ 1743 violin by Pietro Guarneri, owned by the foundation ‘Il Canale’ ONLUS.