Mateo Sestani

Born in Athens in 2001, he began studying the cello at the age of six. In 2020, he obtained his Diploma in Cello from the Athens Conservatoire, having studied under Vangjel Nina. He subsequently earned his Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from the Department of Music Science and Art at the University of Macedonia, where he studied in the class of Dimitris Patras.
 
Since 2010, he has been a member of the Underground Youth Orchestra and, since 2023, of the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO), serving as Principal Cellist in both ensembles. Through his work with these orchestras, he has given numerous performances in Greece and abroad, including appearances at international festivals such as Young Euro Classic at the Konzerthaus Berlin (2019 and 2023). Since March 2024, he has been a permanent member of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra.
 
His performances have taken him to some of the most renowned concert halls worldwide, including Carnegie Hall (New York), the Musikverein (Vienna),  the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), the Konzerthaus (Berlin), and the Athens Concert Hall, as well as other distinguished venues across Europe and the United States.
 
He has attended masterclasses in cello and chamber music with distinguished musicians including Corina Belcea, Christoph Heesch, Benedict Kloeckner, Joel Marosi, Angelos Liakakis, Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin, Dimitris Patras, and others.
 
He made his professional debut as a soloist in January 2023 in Mannheim, Germany, performing Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Jugend Sinfonie Orchester Mannheim. Since then, he has appeared as a soloist with orchestras including the Jugend Philharmonie Brandenburg and the Underground Youth Orchestra, among others. He is also a founding member of Trio Fortuna, with which he has performed in concerts and festivals in Greece and Germany.