The Anglo-Persian cellist Leila Shirvani was born in Rome into a family of cellists in 1992.
She is a pupil oh her father, Mike Shirvani, with whom she started studying at the age of three.
When she was just six she won 1st prize in the “St. Cecilia” national competition in Naples. This success was then followed by over 30 first prizes in national and international competitions.
She started her professional concert activity at the age of twelve, when she was invited to close the “Rivoli Musica” Music Festival in Turin; since then she has given concerts as a soloist and recitals in important venues throughout Italy, in the UK, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.
In 2003, at the age of 11, she was the youngest musician invited to the “London Music Competition”.
She was awarded the “Excelsius Musicae et Paces Nuntius” prize during a concert in the “Eurofestival 2004” at the “Palazzo Venezia” in Rome. (She was the youngest musician ever to receive this award).
She received a medal from the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano in 2009 and in March 2013 she gave a recital at the president's "Quirinale" Palace in Rome which was broadcast live on Italian Radio 3.
She is an Associate of the London College of Music and she was awarded the titel of "FLCM" (Fellow of the London College of Music) in Cello Performance.
She is currently doing a master course with Giovanni Sollima at the "Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia".
Her repertoire extends from the baroque period to music of the present day. She has given numerous first performances and frequently collaborates with living composers. Most recently she performed Melozzi's "The Sound of the Falling Walls" for two solo cellos and orchestra together with Giovanni Sollima and his 100cellos orchestra, broadcast live on Italian Rai5.
Already at the age of 16 she was a prize-winner at the prestigious Valentino Bucchi competition in Rome, “The cello in the XX and XXI century”.
Leila has also given numerous performances of works from the violin repertoire which have been transcribed especially for her. This unique aspect of her repertoire has been greatly appreciated by concert audiences.
In 2014 she was invited to the Santander Chamber music festival in Spain where she performed as a soloist and in various chamber music formations.
She has performed and been interviewed on various radio and television programmes including Rai 1, Rai2, Rai5, Radio3, Radio Vaticana, Euroradio and Euroclassica.
She regularly performs in duo with the Italian pianist Marco Grisanti.