Established in two thousand-seventeenth, the Festival Napa Valley's Darioush and Shahpar Khaledi Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Classical Music is given annually to a youthful performer who's demonstrated both excellence in their performance and an innovative attitude in their programming or approach. As the two thousand twenty-three recipient, VC Artist and violinist Francisco Fullan will get a prize of $10.000, as well as the opportunity to carry out alongside vocalist Matteo Bocelli in one of the festival's concerts — which is set to get space on July fifteen, two thousand twenty-three.

Past winners of the Khaledi Prize comprise Tessa Lark, Nia Imani Franklin, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Nadine Sierra, and Aldo López-Gavilán. "[I am] so thankful and honored to get Festival Napa Valley’s two thousand twenty-three Khaledi Prize," wrote Fullana on social media. "I cannot wait to play some of my beloved Sarasate for the season opener! Look you soon, Napa!" Born in Mallorca, Fullana graduated The Juilliard School and the Univ of Southern CA Thornton School of Music, he studied with Donald Weilerstein, Masao Kawasaki, and Midori.

He's a former first-prize winner at the Julio Cardona, Munetsugu Angel, and Johannes Brahms International Violin Competitions. He won the two thousand eighteen Avery Fisher Career Grant and was Artist in Residence with the renowned Baroque ensemble Apollo's Fire for the two thousand twenty-one/twenty-two season. Fullana has appeared as a soloist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Bayerische Philharmonie, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Vancouver Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Spanish Radio Television Orchestra, among others. Along with his growing performing career, his Fortissimo Youth Initiative, a series of music seminars and performances with youth orchestras, aims aim to examine and deepen youthful musicians’ understanding of 18th-century music.