Feng Ning
The "Guarneri del Gesù"

FENG NING
He was born in Chengdu (Sichuan), where he started learning the violin with private teacher Youxin Wen at the age of four. In 1992 he entered the High School of Sichuan Conservatoire of Music and studied with Weimin Hu. In 1995, in England, Feng Ning participated in masterclasses with Ruggiero Ricci and his future teacher in London, Hu Kun when, in 1998, he was invited as a full scholarship student to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
In 1999, after the masterclass of Yehudi Menuhin, he was invited by the same Menuhin to perform in Germany. Since 1999 Feng Ning has participated with great success to prestigious international violin competitions: he come fifth in the ‘Queen Elisabeth’ Competition in Bruxelles in 2001, third in the Hannover Competition in 2003 and first in the ‘Michael Hill’ Competition in Auckland (New Zealand) in 2005.
He has been awarded special prizes too in the violin competitions ‘Long- Thibaud’ in Paris and ‘ Cajkovskij’ in Moscow. During his study in the Royal Academy of Music he distinguished himself in winning several prizes and he took his diploma with full marks in 2003. He also received his LRAM (qualification as a violin teacher) from the Academy. Feng Ning then moved to Berlin, where he is still leaving, to continue his study at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler with Prof. Antje Weithaas.
He has performed recitals and concerts in China, Japan, USA and Europe. At the beginning of the year 2005, his first solo CD was released in China and he has also made recordings for European and Japanese record companies. Feng Ning plays a violin made in 2006 by Stefan- Peter Greiner, a German violin-maker.

As first prize winner of Paganini Competition Feng Ning received € 25,000 by the Municipality of Genoa and had the opportunity to play the Guarneri del Gesù (1743), known as the ‘Cannone’ the violin that belonged to Niccolò Paganini, on October 12th, during the ceremony of Christopher Columbus Celebration. Furthermore Feng Ning has received a special prize of € 4,000 in memory of Renato De Barbieri, offered by the Government of the Province of Genoa for the best interpretation of Paganini’s Capricci and another special prize of € 1,600 in memory of Mario Ruminelli, offered by the Ruminelli family to the first-prize winner.

THE "GUARNERI DEL GESU'"
The violin that belonged to Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840), was made in 1743 in Cremona by the violinmaker Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri (1698-1744) known as 'del Gesù'.
Most likely, Paganini received it as a gift while he was in Livorno (Leghorn) in 1802. He preferred it to all the other violins he owned and affectionately called it "my cannon violin" because of the richness of its sound.
Miraculously, all the principal parts of the Cannone have survived absolutely intact to the present day, a fact that confirms its uniqueness. Its value is enhanced by the fame of its renowned owner. The varnish is still the original, and in the area to the left to the tailpiece has been worn off because, like all of his contemporaries, Paganini played the violin without using a chin rest and therefore rested his chin directly on the sounding board.
Thus, Paganini found an exceptional partner in the Cannone, reaching insuperable heights of virtuosity. The exceptional extension of the fingers of his left hand enabled the great violinist to perform new violin techniques that made good use of the full potential of the instrument.
According to precise instructions left by Paganini in his will of 1837, the Cannone was left to the City of Genoa, his native city, "so that it be preserved forever".
Since 1851, the violin, together with other Paganini memorabilia, has been kept at Palazzo Tursi, the Genoa City Hall. The violin's preservation is supervised by a panel of experts including Mario Trabucco, the violinist who periodically plays the instrument, and Bruce Carlson, the violinmaker in charge of its conservation.
Many famous violinists have performed with the Cannone in Italy and abroad. Moreover, it is a privilege reserved for the winner of the International Violin Competition 'Premio Paganini' held in Genoa; the winner plays the precious instrument on October 12th on the occasion of the Columbus Celebrations.