Francesca Dardani is an acclaimed Italian-Chinese American violinist celebrated for her versatility, dynamic stage presence, and wide-ranging musical expertise. Her diverse career has established her as an international performing and recording artist, session musician, and music coordinator, working across classical, contemporary, pop, rock, jazz, film, television, and live entertainment.
Based in New York City, Francesca has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues and arenas, including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Madison Square Garden. She has also appeared alongside prominent artists on major television programs and live events, including Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Songwriters Hall of Fame, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, the Met Gala, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and Austin City Limits, among many others.
Francesca was invited to join Madonna’s nine-month worldwide Madame X Tour, in 2019/2020 performing alongside the iconic artist throughout the international tour. More recently she performed with Olivia Rodrigo, at Daisy Chain Festival in Irvine, California, and an Austin City Limits live taping during its 52nd season in Austin, Texas. Francesca collaborated with Post Malone for his acclaimed NPR Tiny Desk Concert and joined Coldplay for a week-long promotional tour surrounding the release of their album Moon Music. She worked extensively with Bruce Springsteen, performing as part of his band and appearing in four music videos from his album Only the Strong Survive, as well as four performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
As a music coordinator, Francesca worked on Ed Sheeran’s– (Subtract) Tour, overseeing the hiring of 70 string musicians for the U.S. leg of the tour.
Her extensive list of collaborations spans numerous genres and includes performances with Madonna, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Post Malone, Olivia Rodrigo, Shakira, Karol G, Miley Cyrus, RAYE, Halsey, Mark Ronson, St. Vincent, Lucy Dacus, Benson Boone, Conan Gray, Laufey, and many others.
Film, Television & Commercial Recording
In addition to her live performances, Francesca is a highly sought-after session musician. Her recording credits include soundtracks and scores for acclaimed films, documentaries, and television productions such as The Farewell, Boy Erased, I, Tonya, Amazon’s Expats, LA 92, Little Richard: I Am Everything, and Goodnight Mommy, among many others.
She has also performed and recorded for two seasons of America’s Got Talent and contributed to numerous commercial campaigns for major brands, including IBM, Apple, Symbicort, Canon, Clorox, and Lucky Charms.
Broadway & Orchestral Performance
Francesca has performed with orchestras both on and off Broadway since the age of 25. Her credits include productions such as & Juliet, The Great Gatsby, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Hamilton: An American Musical, Matilda, Spring Spectacular, Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and Found.
She currently performs as concertmaster of the Sinfonietta and is a member of the Grammy Award-winning jazz orchestra 8-Bit Big Band.
Her orchestral career also includes serving as a former member of the Archi De Sono String Orchestra in Turin, Italy; Principal Second Violin of the Britten Pears Orchestra in England; and Co-Principal Violin of the Opera Orchestra of Teatro Regio di Parma in Italy.
Education
Born and raised in Parma, Italy, Francesca began studying violin at the age of eight. She continued her studies at the Conservatorio di Musica “Arrigo Boito” in Parma after receiving a scholarship from De Sono Associazione in Turin, Italy.
She was subsequently accepted to Mannes College of Music in New York, where she studied with Lewis Kaplan and earned a Bachelor of Music degree. She continued her studies with Krzysztof Wegrzyn in Hannover, Germany, and later earned a Master of Arts degree from the Royal Academy of Music in London in 2013, studying under the tutelage of Richard Deakin.
Francesca is endorsed by REMIC Microphones and GEWA.
