Luiz Fernando Venturelli
A Gurrena Fellowship Concert
Presented by Meadowmount School of Music
Sunday, May 26 at 3:00. Reception at Whitcomb’s will follow the performance.
$10 suggested donation
Meadowmount School of Music, the summer program for young string players founded by legendary violin teacher Ivan Galamian in Westport, NY, has awarded the second annual Gurrena Fellowship, worth $50,000, to Brazilian cellist Luiz Fernando Venturelli, as announced by Meadowmount Artistic Director Janet Sung.
The Gurrena Fellowship was created in 2022 in memory of David A. Barnebl, an educated, passionate music lover, byhis wife, Linda Gurrena Barnebl, of Panton, VT. The purpose of the Fellowship is to support and encourage exceptionally talented students to become abundantly successful in their professional journey.
Luiz Fernando Venturelli is a Brazilian cellist who is rapidly gaining recognition as one of the most promising young musicians of the country. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 2021 and his master’s in 2023, studying under Professor Hans Jørgen Jensen. Born and raised in a musical family, Luiz began his musical studies at the age of 3 and began playing the cello when he was 8. He studied at the Instituto Baccarelli, a non-profit organization that offers free music lessons to children, from the time he was 8 until he came to the United States when he was 17.
Luiz is a member of the Galvin Cello Quartet, formed in 2021 at the Bienen School of Music, which won the silver medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition and the 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition. Luiz has been a prize winner in multiple competitions including the Paulo Bosisio competition, the Samuel and Eleanor Thaviu String competition, the concerto competitions of the Orquestra Filarmônica de Goiás, OSESP, Northwestern University, as well as the 24th annual Sphinx competition. He was recently awarded the second annual $50,000 Gurrena Fellowship from the Meadowmount School of Music, and was the winner of the 2023 Astral Artists national competition.
