About Us
Two Souls, One Music
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Davide Forti, cello, and Francesca De Nardi, piano, met at the end of 2015 during their postgraduate studies at “Conservatorio G. Tartini”, Trieste, Italy. From then on, they performed in several concerts in Italy and Ireland, being coached by internationally known musicians as Daniel Rowland, Trio di Parma, Maja Bogdanovic, RTÉ ConTempo Quartet.
Based in Dublin, Ireland, they have been awarded many prizes, such as the First Prize at the Feis Ceoil 2021 (Elsner Memorial Cup) and the First Prize at the IMKA International Music Competition 2019. They are currently specializing in chamber music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, coached by William Butt and Lance Coburn.
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"Sonas" is a tribute to the land that hosted them: it means “Happiness” in Irish, but it also reminds of the latin verb “sonare”, joining in a single concept their shared love for music.
Davide Forti
Davide Forti was born in 1993 in Trieste, where he attended the "Conservatorio G. Tartini", earning his Master's Degree in Cello in 2017 with the highest marks. In June 2019 he achieved the title of Recital Artist (Distinction) at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, under the tutelage of William Butt.
He attended numerous masterclasses with T. Carroll, J. Arp, M. Bogdanovic, E. Bronzi, G. Gnocchi, E. Dindo. In 2014 he attended the annual chamber music masterclass at the "International Chamber Music Academy" in Duino (Trieste) held by the Trio di Parma.
He has been awarded prizes in numerous national and international competitions, winning among the others a First and a Second Prize at the Feis Ceoil 2021 in the solo categories (Clyde Twelvetrees Cup - Cello Concerto Competition and Senior Cello), the Second Prize at the Feis Ceoil 2019, the scholarship "Fano" at the Venice Music Master in the same year and the Third Prize at the "Lilian Caraian" competition in 2013.
He currently teaches Cello for Music Generation Louth.
Francesca De Nardi
Francesca De Nardi was born in 1991 in Trieste, Italy. She studied piano with Paolo Bidoli at the “Conservatorio G. Tartini" (Trieste, Italy) earning the Master’s Degree in 2012 with the highest honours and continuing her studies with the pianist Federico Consoli. At the same time she took up her violin studies, eventually graduating in 2017 at the same conservatory under the tutelage of Sinead Nava. In June 2019 she earned her Master’s in Violin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (Dublin, Ireland) with Karl Sweeney.
In 2015 she has also been awarded a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology by the University of Udine (Italy), with the highest marks, before devoting her life entirely to the musical career.
She carries out an intense activity as accompanist both in Italy and Ireland and collaborates as violinist in various orchestras and chamber groups (RIAM Philharmonia, Orchestra of the Irish National Youth Ballet, Fishamble Sinfonia).
She teaches violin and piano at the Dundalk Institute of Technology, Grow Music (Dundalk, Ireland) and for Music Generation Louth, here she also carries on an orchestral programme in cooperation with Davide Forti.