Elena
Pressacco was born in Locarno, Switzerland. She is a Swiss-Austrian pianist.
Elena
began her piano studies at the age of 12. At the age of 17 she was admitted
into the Professional studies program of the Conservatory of Southern Switzerland
in Lugano (now called University of Music in Lugano) under the guidance of the
professors Alessandro D’Onofrio (Italy) and Nora Doallo (Argentina).
In
1991 Elena won the First Prize of the Youth Swiss National Competition in
Geneva, performing and recording for the Radio of the Swiss Romande. In 1992,
she was invited twice to perform with the Orchestra “I Solisti della Svizzera
Italiana”, recording live for the Radio and the Television of the Southern
Switzerand the Concerto KV 248 by W. A. Mozart, later internationally
broadcast.
Subsequently
she was invited to perform as a soloist at the Davos International Music
Festival. Besides the numerous appearances as a chamber music player in Swiss
music festivals, she was one of the accompanists of the candidates for the
Master degree in Chamber Music and Soloist Diploma at the Conservatory in
Lugano. The same year Elena was also invited to represent Switzerland at the
International Festival “Musikakademie Bonn” (Germany). She performed in the
official residence of the Prime Ministers.
In
1994 Elena obtained her Master degree in Piano Pedagogy, and performed with the
OSI Orchestra at the Radio Station. The same year she was awarded of a
scholarship by the “Gabriele De Agostini Foundation” in Geneva. Elena has
attended several workshops taught by famous professors and has performed in
Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, and the United States of America. She
was awarded a UTSA music scholarship in 1996. In 1998 she brilliantly obtained
the Master of Music with focus in Piano Performance under the guidance of Dr.
Valeri Grohokvski (Russia) at the University of Texas at San Antonio, USA. She
plays chamber music (quartet) with her
three mathematics fellows and continue studying the main soloist repertoire.
She has recorded a solo cd “Piano Melodies for Falling Angels” (2015) to raise
funds destined to the cancer research. (IRB: institute of biomedical research).
Currently
she is the official piano instructor at the Liceo Cantonale di Bellinzona and at
the Liceo Cantonale di Savosa, besides leading her own piano school “Il
Pianoforte Magico” in Bellinzona. She has been teaching now since 27 years and
several of her students have already completed their musical studies. Her hobby are: ice skating, listening to
jazz, bike, Nordic walking, swimming, and many more interesting things….to
discover!
