Mediterranean Strings

The Ciampa – Piccotti Duo unites two of Italy’s most compelling international artists, cellist Erica Piccotti and guitarist Gian Marco Ciampa. Their collaborations are known for expressive warmth, refined virtuosity, and an effortless musical dialogue between cello and guitar.

Erica Piccotti, born in Rome in 1999, graduated summa cum laude from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory at just fourteen. She is a laureate of the Johannes Brahms and Janigro International Competitions, recipient of the Landgraf von Hessen Preis, and was named ICMA Young Artist of the Year in 2019. She has performed in major halls including Teatro alla Scala, Carnegie Hall New York, Wigmore Hall London, and the Konzerthaus Berlin, and has collaborated with artists such as Sir András Schiff, Mischa Maisky, Gidon Kremer, and Salvatore Accardo. Her debut recording for Warner Classics received international acclaim. She plays a 1925 Ettore Soffritti cello from Ferrara.

Gian Marco Ciampa is internationally recognised as one of the leading Italian classical guitarists of his generation. A graduate of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory with highest honors, he has earned more than forty international awards including top prizes at the Melbourne International Guitar Competition and the Tokyo International Guitar Competition. His TEDx talk “Who says classical music is only for old people?” and his appearance as the sole classical artist at the USA Pavilion of EXPO Milano 2015 highlight his commitment to bringing classical music to wider audiences. He tours regularly throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and the United States and is a frequent guest on Italian national television and radio.

Together, they offer a vivid musical journey where Spanish color, folk rhythm, and Italian operatic lyricism merge in intimate and expressive new forms through the unique sound world of cello and guitar.