First Violins

Sara Zeneli

In the orchestra since 2025

“Sara possesses outstanding musical and instrumental qualities: perfect intonation, a warm, powerful and captivating sound, brilliant technique, pure musicality.” With these words, Salvatore Accardo described Sara Dionisia Zeneli, whom he mentored during her formative years at the Accademia Stauffer in Cremona, closely supporting both her artistic development and her personal growth.

Born in Zakynthos in 2000, Sara began studying the violin at the age of three under her mother’s guidance. Her education soon expanded internationally: she continued at the Conservatory of Rotterdam with Natalia Morozova and later at the Conservatory of Athens with Vasili Papas. By the age of seven, she had already won her first national and international competitions and was participating in masterclasses with distinguished musicians such as Sergey Kravchenko and Grigori Zhislin—experiences that helped shape her discipline, focus, and musical identity from an early age.

After moving to Italy in 2008 and meeting Accardo, her artistic path entered a defining phase. Under his mentorship, she refined her technique and deepened her interpretative insight while completing her Bachelor’s degree in Cremona with highest honors, distinction, and special mention under the guidance of Laura Gorna.

In 2017, she received the “Musical Talent” Prize at Palazzo Montecitorio, presented by the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Laura Boldrini, on the occasion of European Music Day.

She later continued her studies in Salzburg at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, completing her Master’s degree in violin under Benjamin Schmid. Her time there was marked by intensive artistic exploration within one of Europe’s leading musical institutions. During her years at the Mozarteum, she also pursued a jazz improvisation course with Benjamin, broadening her expressive range and strengthening her creative connection to the instrument.

She subsequently completed her postgraduate studies at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid under the guidance of Marco Rizzi. During heryears at the Reina Sofía, she worked with conductors including Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Juanjo Mena, Nicolás Pasquet, Pablo González, Christoph Poppen, Paul Goodwin, and David Afkham, gaining valuable orchestral experience across a wide spectrum of repertoire and artistic perspectives. Chamber music has also played a central role in her development, studying with Heime Müller and Marta Gulyás, her principal mentors in this field.

In 2023, during her studies at the Reina Sofía, she received from Her Majesty Queen Doña Sofía the Diploma as the most outstanding student of her class, as well as the Distinction for the Most Outstanding Chamber Group in the string quartet category with the “Albéniz” Quartet.

Over the years, she has also participated in masterclasses with internationally renowned musicians including Maxim Vengerov, Ralph Gothóni, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Ana Chumachenco, Robert David Levin, Alina Pogostkina, and Reinhard Goebel. Since 2025, she has been collaborating with Utopia Orchestra under the direction of MaestroTeodor Currentzis.

Sara also collaborates with the Fondazione “Antonio Stradivari” in Cremona, performing at the Auditorium Arvedi on instruments from its distinguished historical collection.

AT WHAT POINT DID YOU REALIZE YOU WOULD BE A MUSICIAN?

My musical career was shaped by my mother, who is a violinist. In my early childhood, I often sat next to her while she was practicing. Once, when I was about three years old, my mom left her violin on the desk unattended, and when she came back a few moments later, she found me plucking the strings — it sounded like some kind of pizzicato. That's how she realised I needed lessons. So I started playing the violin, and I haven't stopped since.

WHAT DO YOU VALUE THE MOST IN WORKING WITH MUSICAETERNA?

Before meeting musicAeterna, I was, of course, familiar with the orchestra's recordings, and its excellent reputation precedes it. Nevertheless, I managed to attend a musicAeterna concert for the first time only in 2024, in Madrid. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed by the energy and performance excellence. I already had my own idea of what an ideal performance could be, but after the musicAeterna concert, the bar skyrocketed. It was an incredible level, I was fascinated by this orchestra and genuinely enjoyed what I heard. At the same time, I never set myself the goal of getting into musicAeterna — everything turned out by itself.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMPRABLE CONCERT RECENTLY?

The most unusual place where I have ever played is the Epidaurus Theatre in Greece, I was there with the Utopia Orchestra. Few musicians are allowed to perform in this place, but with Teodor, anything seems possible. We were playing Mahler's Symphony No. 4, and at the end maestro decided to turn off the lights completely. When the last note died away, it was completely dark around us, and above us were the stars. We spent a minute in complete silence, just looking up at the sky. It was an absolutely magical feeling. It's impossible to forget.

PROFESSIONAL ADVICE

Don't be afraid of your ideas, even if they differ from what others expect from you.

THE MAIN THING IN LIFE AND MUSIC

Inner freedom and the ability to live in the moment.

ASIDE FROM MUSIC, WHAT ELSE ARE YOU INTERESTED IN?

I love cooking, and especially baking. I often come up with new cake recipes, and they are quite complex, almost professional. For me, this is also a kind of creative work, and I really enjoy the process. I also dance. Dancing helps me keep fit, which is important for a musician, but besides that, it seems to me a very beautiful and feminine way of expressing myself. I recently started practicing tango. Besides, I love singing, although I've never trained professionally. I play the guitar a bit — I mastered the instrument myself, just for fun. I've been listening to bossa nova a lot lately, and I sing it myself sometimes. Actually, I've always loved jazz, but now it's bossa nova that warms my heart.

WHAT DOES MUSIC MEAN TO YOU?

For me, music is magic. It makes me feel alive, and that feeling has a lot to do with the audience's reaction to our work. Sometimes I want to express a certain state or thought through music, and it is important for me that the people in the audience live them with me, it is important to share the moment with them. The great power of emotions lies in the fact that they bring a person back to the present.

musicAeterna orchestra events

June 23, 19:00

Krasnoyarsk | Krasnoyarsk Philharmonic

Concert of musicAeterna. Beethoven, Mozart

Symphony concert

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