As soloist Mr. D’Orazio has performed in concerts in all Europe, North and South America, Mexico, Australia, China and Japan. He has recorded for Decca, Hyperion, Opus 111/Naive Stradivarius and Amadeus.
Mr. D’Orazio has performed at such major concert venues as the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Berliner Philarmonie, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, the South Bank Center in London, the Centre de la Musique Baroque in Versailles, the Cervantino Festival in Mexico, Buenos Aires, Instanbul, MiTo, Montpellier, Potsdam, Ravenna, Ravello, Urbino, Salzburg, Strasbourg, Stresa, Tanglewood, Venice Biennale.
Mr. D’Orazio’s large repertoire includes works from early music, as violinist in the original instrument ensemble L’Astrée of Turin, to classic, romantic and contemporary music. Indeed, he is a favourite of many composers: he premiered violin and orchestra works by the composers Brett Dean (Electric Violin Concerto), Terry Riley (Zephir), Ivan Fedele (Mosaique, Orizzonte di Elettra for electric 5 strings violin), Michael Nyman (Violin Concerto n.2), Michele dall’Ongaro, Maury Buchala, Marcello Panni, Fabio Vacchi, Gilberto Bosco, Marco Betta, Fabian Panisello and Valerio Sannicandro and also many chamber works. Luis De Pablo wrote for D’Orazio his last violin works, “Per Violino” and Encore. For many years he worked with Luciano Berio, whose Divertimento for string trio he premiered at the Festival of Strasbourg, performing Sequenza VIII at the Festivals of Salzbourg and Tanglewood and Corale for violin and orchestra at the Citè de la Musique in Paris and the Auditorium Nacional de Musica in Madrid conducted by the composer. Mr D’Orazio has performed the UK premiere of “Electric Preludes” for electric 6 strings violin and orchestra by Brett Dean at the Proms in London and the Italian premiere of the violin concertos by John Adams (“The Dharma at Big Sur” for electric 6 strings violin), Kaija Saariaho (Graal Theatre), Unsuk Chin, Luis De Pablo, Michael Daugherty (“Fire and Blood”), Aaron jay Kernis (“Lament and Prayer”) and Michael Nyman (Violin Concerto n.1).
Mr. D’Orazio has concertized with the London Symphony, Teatro alla Scala Philarmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Accademia di Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orchestre National Il de France, the Shangai Philarmonic, the Berliner Symphoniker, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, the Nagoya Philarmonic, the Orchestra of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, the Saarlandischer Rundfunk, the Accademia Bizantina, the Academia Montis Regalis, conducted by Lorin Maazel, Luciano Berio, Hubert Soudant, Pascal Rophé, Boris Brott, Ingo Metzmacher, Sakari Oramo, Steven Mercurio, Ottavio Dantone, Arturo Tamayo and Hansjorg Schellenberger.
In 2010, the Italian National Music Critics Association awarded Francesco with the Premio Abbiati as “Best Soloist” of the year.
Mr D’Orazio plays a violin by Giuseppe Guarneri, “Comte de Cabriac”, Cremona 1711 and a Jean Baptiste Vuillaume made in Paris in 1863.