ARTIST PROFILE:
Dragonfly

DRAGONFLY
Viola, Cello & Voices
Danusha Waskiewicz · Naomi Berrill

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DANUSHA WASKIEWICZ 
Danusha Waskiewicz is one of the most acclaimed violists on the international scene. A student of Tabea Zimmermann, she has performed under Claudio Abbado with the Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, the Berliner Philharmoniker, and as Principal Viola of the Orchestra Mozart.

With Abbado, she recorded Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante (with Giuliano Carmignola) for Deutsche Grammophon. Among her many recordings are the Brandenburg Concertos for EuroArts, Bartók’s Viola Concerto, and chamber music projects with Isabelle Faust for Harmonia Mundi.

Chamber music is her creative core: she is a regular member of the Quartetto Prometeo, engaged in both the reinterpretation of classical works and the promotion of contemporary music. She collaborates closely with pianist Andrea Rebaudengo in the Waskiewicz–Rebaudengo duo, with a repertoire that ranges from classical to singer-songwriter music (Songs for Viola and Piano, Decca).
With the ardeTrio, she explores the world of tango alongside Marcus Däunert and Omar Massa.

Since 2021, with Dragonfly, she has opened a new artistic chapter where the viola merges with voice and cello in an intense performative experience.
She regularly teaches masterclasses and advanced courses and is a faculty member of the Avos Project in Rome and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole.

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NAOMI BERRILL 

Originally from Ireland, now based in Florence, Italy, Naomi Berrill is one of the most eclectic voices in today’s music scene. After her classical training, she developed a unique language using the cello as an accompanying instrument to her voice, while exploring new harmonic possibilities of the cello. Her work extends to theatre, contemporary dance, and design and she has collaborated with artists such as Arvo Pärt, Giovanni Sollima and Mario Brunello.

She is founder of the High Notes Festival in the Apuan Alps, now in its 14th edition.

In 2024, she was commissioned by the Cellissimo festival by Music for Galway to compose a work for string ensemble, choir, ukulele ensemble and solo cello.

She has performed at major international festivals including: Venice Biennale, Cello Biennale Amsterdam, Beethovenfest Bonn, Triennale Milano, Festival dei Due Mondi Spoleto, Oriente Occidente, Uffizi Galleries (Uffizi Live), Time in Jazz, Casa del Jazz, Spike Cello Festival (Dublin), Vicenza Jazz, Elba Isola Musicale d’Europa, as well as on tour in the U.S. (Irish Arts Center, New York) and Brazil (Italian Culture Week, São Paulo).

Her performance at the Ice Music Festival, playing an ice cello on the Presena Glacier at 2,600 meters altitude, remains iconic.