Currently based in New York City, Francesco Barfoed (b. 1996) is a Danish pianist, born and raised in Copenhagen. A young artist on the rise, he frequently collaborates with singers and has twice won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions; with mezzo-soprano Megan Moore (2020) and baritone Joseph Parrish (2022). Megan and Francesco also won 1st prize in the Copenhagen Lied-Duo Competition and 2nd prize at the Naumberg Foundation International Vocal Competition. In the 21-22 season they toured with their recital, I SEE LIGHT, and performed at the Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, Alabama, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and Merkin Hall at Lincoln Center, among others. 

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In 2022, Francesco participated in Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall, co-arranged and performed a two-piano version of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at Juilliard and performed alongside New York Festival of Song’s Steven Blier as a Schwab Rising Star at Caramoor. He also won the Juilliard Vocal Arts Honors Recital audition and will perform at Merkin Hall in 2023 with mezzo-soprano MaryBeth Nelson.

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In his already extensive career, Francesco has been on the coaching faculty at Saluzzo Opera Academy in Italy in 2021 and was an Opera Coaching Fellow at Aspen Music Festival in 2022. He has performed Rachmaninoff’s 1st Piano Concerto, as well as on the national Danish Radio (DR P2), in Italy and in Austria, and at various chamber music festivals across Denmark, including the Hindsgavl Festival.

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Francesco is currently pursuing the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at The Juilliard School, where he also completed a master’s degree as a Kovner Fellow. He also holds degrees from The Royal Danish Academy of Music and Rutgers University, where he won the concerto competition in 2018.

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Francesco is a passionate promoter of cultural exchange between Denmark and the United States. In addition to an upcoming collaboration with the Museum of Danish America in Iowa, his studies in the U.S. have been supported by several prizes and scholarships from organizations like Denmark-America Foundation, Bikuben Foundation, and perhaps most notably the Victor Borge Scholarship, which is awarded to just one musician from Scandinavia each year. 

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Francesco holds Italian citizenship and is fluent in Danish, Italian, and English.