Eleonora Testa, born in 2004, began studying cello at the age of five. Under the guidance of Francesco Pepicelli, she was admitted at just fourteen as the youngest student selected by Antonio Meneses at both the Stauffer Academy in Cremona and the Chigiana Academy in Siena, where she was invited to perform during the concert season.
She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf with Pieter Wispelwey, where she was awarded a scholarship by the Rotary Club Düsseldorf.
At the age of twelve, she performed Haydn’s C Major Cello Concerto at the Ravenna Festival, invited by Giovanni Sollima. She frequently appears as a soloist with orchestra, including a performance of the Schumann Concerto with the Budweis Orchestra in Switzerland in July 2024. In 2019, she opened the “Alfredo Piatti” Festival in Bergamo and in 2021 the “Janigro Festival”. Selected by Mario Brunello, she performed for the Amici della Musica Society in Ancona.
She is the winner of several international competitions, including the “Janigro Junior Competition” in Croatia, where she also received a special prize. Since 2020, she has formed the Aither Duo with pianist Francesco Maria Navelli. The duo was awarded a scholarship by the Rotary Club of Salerno and regularly performs in prestigious venues.
Eleonora plays a Ventapane-school cello that belonged to Arturo Bonucci Senior and Arturo Bonucci Junior.