Born in Lecco, Italy, to Italian and American parents, Francesca Dego is celebrated for her sonorous tone, compelling interpretations, and flawless technique. She regularly appears with such major orchestras worldwide as the Philharmonia Orchestra, Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchester Köln, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, in Rome, Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino, Orchestra Filarmonica della Fenice, in Venice, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, National Symphony Orchestra, in Washington DC, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, in Paris, and Orchestre philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Her international career to date has allowed her to work alongside esteemed conductors such as Philippe Herreweghe, Fabio Luisi, Sir Roger Norrington, Daniele Rustioni, Dalia Stasevska, Krzysztof Urbański, and Xian Zhang. An outstanding collaborative artist, she thrives in chamber settings, having performed with Salvatore Accardo, Mahan Esfahani, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Jan Lisiecki, Mischa Maisky, Antonio Meneses, Shlomo Mintz, Daniel Müller-Schott, Francesco Piemontesi, Roman Simović, Kathryn Stott, and Alessandro Taverna, as well as her regular recital partner, the pianist Francesca Leonardi.

Having made her concerto début, in California, at the age of seven, performing Bach, Francesca Dego rose to prominence as the first Italian female prizewinner for nearly 50 years at the renowned Premio Paganini, in Genoa, where she received the Enrico Costa award for having been the youngest finalist. Paganini and his œuvre have been a steady companion in her life since, and in 2019 she was invited to perform his First Violin Concerto on ‘Il Cannone’ at a special concert in Genoa, celebrating his anniversary. She has recorded the complete solo Caprices, and, together with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Paganini’s First Concerto coupled with the Violin Concerto by Wolf-Ferrari. She is a frequent contributor to specialist music magazines, penning a monthly column for Suonare News among others, and has written articles and opinion pieces in the British and international musical press. Francesca Dego has also published a book, issued by Arnoldo Mondadori Editori – Tra le Note. Classica: 24 chiavi di lettura – in which she explores how classical music can be listened to and better understood today. She plays a precious violin made by Francesco Ruggeri, in Cremona, in 1697.