Salvatore Accardo
The violinist Salvatore Accardo started with his first public performance at the age of 13. Barely two years later, he won first prize at the Geneva Competition and then at the Paganini Competition in Genoa.

These first successes were quickly confirmed, for from then on he played with the greatest international orchestras and conductors, devoting part of his activity to chamber music. He also conducted the first modern version of the Messa di Gloria at the Pesaro Festival, then in Vienna with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

His interest in pedagogy led him to found the Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona in 1986 with his colleagues Giuranna, Filippini and Petracchi. His broad repertoire ranges from baroque music to contemporary works, and he is also the dedicatee of many recent works: Sciarrino, Piazzolla and Xenakis, to name but a few who have dedicated works to him.

His impressive discography has been recorded on several labels, including DGG, Philips, ASV, Dyna Sony Classical, Collins Classic or Foné.

In recognition of his exceptional playing and interpretations, he has been crowned with numerous awards, such as the Abbiati Prize, which he received from Italian music critics. He also received the "A Life for the Music" and Gold Medal for the Arts awards from the Kennedy Center in New York. He also received the highest Italian award "Cavaliere di Gran Croce". In 1996, the Beijing Conservatory named him "Most honourable Professor" and in 1999 he was appointed "Commandeur de l'Ordre du Mérite culturel" by the Principality of Monaco.

With the best students of the Stauffer Academy he was able to revive the Orchestra da Camera Italiana in 1996 and recorded with them all of Paganini's violin concertos (EMI), the Concerto per la Costituzione and Piazzolla's works for violin in 3 volumes (Foné).

Salvatore Accardo plays a Guarneri del Gesù violin from 1730, the so-called "Hart".