A prize-winner at three of the most prestigious international violin competitions – the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Queen Elizabeth in Brussels and the Indianapolis – Marco Rizzi is particularly appreciated for the quality, strength and insight of his interpretations. Studying with such pedagogues as G. Magnani, S. Accardo and W. Liberman and graduating from the Milan and Utrecht Conservatories, he is recognized as one of the most interesting young violinists, and was awarded the Europäischen Musikförderpreis in 1991 on the recommendation of Claudio Abbado. He regularly appears in prestigious concert halls – the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Salle Gaveau and Salle Pleyel in Paris, Lincoln Center in New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Philharmonic Society of Brussels, the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory, the Hamburger Musikhalle, the Berlin Konzerthaus and the Tivoli in Copenhagen. He works with such notable conductors as Riccardo Chailly, Aldo Ceccato, Peter Eötvös, Vladimir Jurowski and Hans Vonk. He has also been soloist with orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Dresden, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Orchestre de Concerts Lamoureux, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orquesta RTVE of Madrid, BBC Scottish, Netherlands Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “G. Verdi”, Radio Chamber Orchestra Holland, and many others.
A continuously developing violinist, Marco Rizzi presented for the first time his interpretation of the Walton Concerto and Nostalghia by Takemitsu. He has also played unusual masterpieces like the Walter Sonata or the Adams Violin Concerto.
Marco Rizzi is passionately active in chamber music, and plays with partners like Andrea Lucchesini, Mario Brunello, Lylia Zylberstein, Gary Hoffman, Nobuko Imai, to mention a few, in prestigious chamber music festivals: one is the Lockenhaus Festival on invitation of Gidon Kremer.
Marco Rizzi teaches an international class at the Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim and the renowned Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid.
He plays a Pietro Guarneri dating from 1743, owned by the foundation Pro Canale-Onlus.