Bartoletti-Merlini Duo was formed through the discovery of a remarkable musical affinity while studying at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Their artistic partnership quickly developed into a professional collaboration, leading to performances at prestigious venues and festivals, including the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, where they were featured in the acclaimed Musica da Casa Menotti concert series. Both born in 2003, Caterina and Leonardo continue to pursue their concert careers, expanding their repertoire and musical knowledge while performing in new and prestigious musical settings. They have appeared at venues and festivals including the “Musica con Vista” Festival, organized by the AMUR Committee and Le Dimore del Quartetto in collaboration with the Stauffer Academy of Cremona; the Cappella Paolina at the Quirinale in Rome; the LAC Theatre in Lugano; İş Sanat in Istanbul; the Fraschini Theatre in Pavia; the Teatro delle Muse in Ancona; the Alighieri Theatre in Ravenna; the Ducal Palace in Urbino; Spazio Officina in Chiasso; and the courtyard of the Archiginnasio in Bologna as part of the Pianofortissimo Festival. The duo is currently among the finalists of the 6th Premio della Musica di Verona, with the final rounds taking place between October and December 2026.
Caterina Bartoletti studies with the renowned violinists Pavel Berman and Salvatore Accardo. She performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist, and has covered the role of concertmaster in several orchestral projects, sharing the stage with internationally celebrated artists such as Albrecht Mayer, principal oboe at Berliner Philharmoniker. A student of the Stauffer Academy, she was selected to perform as a member of the chamber ensemble for Stravinskij’s Pulcinella, to play with the Sorbonne Université Orchestra in Paris. Her achievements include First Prize awards at the Gewa String Competition, Dinu Lipatti International Competition, and Swiss International Music Competition, as well as finalist placements at the A. Postacchini International Violin Competition and the Premio Scimone. She has further refined her artistic development through masterclasses at prestigious institutions including the Kronberg Academy and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena.
Leonardo Merlini earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano under the guidance of Anna Kravtchenko, with whom he is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Music Performance. Despite his young age, he has distinguished himself in numerous international piano competitions. His awards include First Absolute Prize at the Elisa ed Elsa Giubitosi International Piano Competition (Capri, 2025), Third Prize at the VI International Istanbul Piano Competition (2024), where he performed with the Sion Orchestra in the final round at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall, and First Absolute Prize at the Andrea Baldi Competition in Bologna. “Mastery of the instrument and technique, virtuosity, crystalline sound, expressive phrasing free from rhetoric, and interpretative imagination: this is what Caterina Bartoletti offered to the audience of Musica da Casa Menotti at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto. Together with the equally talented young pianist Leonardo Merlini, she led the audience through a refined and demanding musical journey. The result was an overwhelming success with both critics and audience.” — Accademia Stauffer “Theatrical flair and a remarkable musical understanding characterized the concert given by Caterina Bartoletti and Leonardo Merlini for Musica da Casa Menotti. With determination and imagination, they presented a demanding twentieth-century programme featuring Prokofiev, Stravinsky, and Poulenc.” — Luca Ciammarughi
The Duo has been a student of the Fondazione Accademia di Musica since 2026.
