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.
musicAeterna orchestra events
György Kurtág (b. 1926)
Songs of Despair and Sorrow for mixed choir with instrumental accompaniment, Op. 18 (1980–1994)
So weary, so wretched to the words of Mikhail Lermontov (1840)
Night, an empty street, a lamp, a drug-store to the words of Alexander Blok (1912)
Blue Evening to the words of Sergei Yesenin (1925)
Where can I go to in this January? to the words of Osip Mandelstam (1937)
The Crucifixion to the words of Anna Akhmatova (1939)
It’s time to the words of Marina Tsvetaeva (1941)
Grabstein für Stephan | Gravestone for Stephan for guitar and instrumental ensemble, Op. 15c
(1989)
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Ein deutsches Requiem | A German Requiem for soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra, Op. 45 (1865–1869)
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen | Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted
Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras | For all flesh is like grass
Herr, lehre doch mich, dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss | Lord, teach me that I must have an end
Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth! | How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit | Ye now therefore have sorrow
Denn wir haben hier keine bleibende Statt | For here we have no continuing city
Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben | Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord
The programme is subject to change.
Performers:
Iveta Simonyan — soprano
Vladislav Chizhov — baritone
The musicAeterna Choir and Orchestra
Conductor — Teodor Currentzis
György Kurtág (b. 1926)
Songs of Despair and Sorrow for mixed choir with instrumental accompaniment, Op. 18 (1980–1994)
So weary, so wretched to the words of Mikhail Lermontov (1840)
Night, an empty street, a lamp, a drug-store to the words of Alexander Blok (1912)
Blue Evening to the words of Sergei Yesenin (1925)
Where can I go to in this January? to the words of Osip Mandelstam (1937)
The Crucifixion to the words of Anna Akhmatova (1939)
It’s time to the words of Marina Tsvetaeva (1941)
Grabstein für Stephan | Gravestone for Stephan for guitar and instrumental ensemble, Op. 15c
(1989)
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Ein deutsches Requiem | A German Requiem for soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra, Op. 45 (1865–1869)
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen | Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted
Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras | For all flesh is like grass
Herr, lehre doch mich, dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss | Lord, teach me that I must have an end
Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth! | How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit | Ye now therefore have sorrow
Denn wir haben hier keine bleibende Statt | For here we have no continuing city
Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben | Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord
The programme is subject to change.
Performers:
Iveta Simonyan — soprano
Vladislav Chizhov — baritone
The musicAeterna Choir and Orchestra
Conductor — Teodor Currentzis
György Kurtág (b. 1926)
Songs of Despair and Sorrow for mixed choir with instrumental accompaniment, Op. 18 (1980–1994)
So weary, so wretched to the words of Mikhail Lermontov (1840)
Night, an empty street, a lamp, a drug-store to the words of Alexander Blok (1912)
Blue Evening to the words of Sergei Yesenin (1925)
Where can I go to in this January? to the words of Osip Mandelstam (1937)
The Crucifixion to the words of Anna Akhmatova (1939)
It’s time to the words of Marina Tsvetaeva (1941)
Grabstein für Stephan | Gravestone for Stephan for guitar and instrumental ensemble, Op. 15c
(1989)
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
Ein deutsches Requiem | A German Requiem for soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra, Op. 45 (1865–1869)
Selig sind, die da Leid tragen | Blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted
Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras | For all flesh is like grass
Herr, lehre doch mich, dass ein Ende mit mir haben muss | Lord, teach me that I must have an end
Wie lieblich sind Deine Wohnungen, Herr Zebaoth! | How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!
Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit | Ye now therefore have sorrow
Denn wir haben hier keine bleibende Statt | For here we have no continuing city
Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben | Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord
The programme is subject to change.
Performers:
Iveta Simonyan — soprano
Vladislav Chizhov — baritone
The musicAeterna Choir and Orchestra
Conductor — Teodor Currentzis