Francesco Nicolosi

Nicolosi has played recitals and as a soloist with prestigious orchestras in some of the most famous concert halls in the world: Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall in London, Victoria Hall of Geneva, Radio Nacional in Madrid, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Teatro alla Scala and Sala Verdi in Milan, Teatro dell’Opera and Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Herkulessaal in Munich, Brahmssaal in Vienna, Kennedy Center in Washington, among others.

The authoritative Corriere della Sera critic and musicologist Paolo Isotta wrote of Nicolosi on the occasion of the recent recording of two rare concerts of Paisiello: (...) listening to him playing is enough to remind us that no one today can match his luminosity of sound, his ability to draw out the song-like legato qualities of a keyboard instrument ... he has acquired a reputation as one of our greatest living pianists ... The great Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli performed eighteenth-century works, his inspiration came principally from the same source as Nicolosi’s, but perhaps lacked some of the latter’s lucidity and coherence. Nicolosi is now perfecting the process begun by Michelangeli.

2017 Sergei Rachmaninov International Award (nomination: "Special Project in the name of Rachmaninov")

He is Artistic Director of the Sigismund Thalberg International Piano Prize and until 2015 he was Artistic Director in many important Italian summer festivals such as “I concerti d’Estate a Villa Guariglia” in Vietri sul mare, "Jeux d'art a Villa d'Este" in Tivoli, "Roccaraso in Musica" and of the International Piano Masterclass in Naples and Rome.

From 2015 to 2019 he was Artistic Director of Teatro Massimo Bellini of Catania.

1994: Prize "Gold Bellini" (previously awarded to artists such as Maria Callas, Riccardo Muti, Luciano Pavarotti, etc.)

In 1989, he began to record with Naxos Records on its Marco Polo imprint. All Thalberg's Paraprases on Italian Opera were included in his recording as well as the Piano Concerto and the Soirées de Pausilippe. The series comprises 8 full-length CDs. The last Thalberg disc was recorded in October 1995.

1980: Third Prize at the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition

1980: Second Prize at the Concours International d'Exécution Musicale in Geneva.

Nicolosi was born in Catania, Italy. He has lived in Naples, Italy since 1973 where he studied with Vincenzo Vitale. Since 1996 he is the president of the Sigismund Thalberg International Study Centre. In 1998 he founded the Franz Liszt Piano Duo with pianist Vittorio Bresciani with the aim of promoting Liszt's symphonic works in two-piano versions.

Francesco Nicolosi (born December 7, 1954) is an Italian pianist.