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Italian violinist Ulisse Mazzon has been loaned the 1736 ‘Muntz’ Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ for a year. The historic instrument is named after a previous owner, the instrument dealer and collector H.M. Muntz, of Birmingham, UK.
Mazzon was born in San Dona di Piave, Veneto, Italy in 1999. He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria with professor Regina Brandstätter, and at the Stauffer Academy, Cremona, with Salvatore Accardo, as well as the Chigiana Academy in Siena.
At the age of 19 Mazzon was accepted into the Orchestral Academy of the Vienna Philharmonic, and currently performs as a substitute with the Vienna Philharmonic itself.
A laureate of several competitions, most recently he won first prize in the senior category of the 2025 Postacchini Competition. He has been selected to compete in the upcoming 58th International Violin Competition ‘Premio Paganini’ in Genoa in October 2025.
A keen chamber musician, he plays in a duo with his cellist sister Maria Malfada Mazzon; they have won several competitions including the Euregio Chamber Music Competition (2024) and the 2025 ‘Città di Cervignano’ competition.
Mazzon has been granted the use of the violin by its owner, the Tokyo-based Nippon Music Foundation, which loans instruments to promising musicians under the age of 35.