Violin & Viola virtuoso and Conductor
The
VIOLINIST
Shlomo Mintz has dedicated all of his life to music. Regarded as one of the foremost violinists of our time, esteemed for his impeccable musicianship, stylistic versatility and commanding technique alike.
Born in Moscow in 1957, he emigrated to Israel at age 2. He started to play the violin with his father at the age of 3 and a half and studied with the renowned Ilona Feher from 6 to 16 years of age.
His Concerto debut was at age 11 with the Israel Philharmonic and he played the Paganini violin Concerto at age 13. When he was 16, he performed at the Carnegie Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra.
Being a American-Israel Cultural Foundation award recipient, under the auspices of Isaac Stern, he began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, from age 16 to 21.
Mintz toured throughout Europe with famous conductors, such as Carlo-Maria Giulini, Antal Dorati and Eugene Ormandy, then signed a major contract with the Deutsche Grammophone.
Regularly appearing with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors on the international scene, he is also frequently heard in recitals and chamber music performances.
PRIZES & AWARDS
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Premio Accademia Musicale Chigiana - 1984
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Diapason D’Or - 1981
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Grand Prix du Disque - 1992, 1997, 1998
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Gramophone Award - 1994
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Edison Award for the Prokofiev Violin Concertos, recording with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Claudio Abbado - 1985
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Edison Award - 2001, 2007
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Honorary Doctoral Degree by the Ben-Gurion University, Israel - 2006
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Cremona Music Award - 2016
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Honorary Fellow of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Israel - 2022
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Artistic Director of Crans Montana Classics, 2012 - present
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Artistic Director of the International Music Festival Sion Valais, 2002 – 2012
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Principal guest conductor of Zagreb Philharmonic, 2008-2010
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Arena di Verona, 1999-2000
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Artistic Advisor and Principal Guest Conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra (LSO, The Netherlands), 1994-1998. With this orchestra Shlomo Mintz played Paganini’s 1st Violin Concerto using 'Il Cannone', the famous violin of Niccòlo Paganini. This amazing project was realized in a concert under the baton of Yoel Levi.
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Music Advisor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra, 1989 - 1993
The
CONDUCTOR
At the age of eighteen, Shlomo Mintz added the role of conductor to his artistic endeavors. Since then, he has conducted acclaimed orchestras worldwide.
"I started conducting, because my teacher Dorothy Delay, gave me a long speech about ‘knowing what other instruments play when you play your concertos’. She was an eloquent pianist herself and was able to accompany her students on several occasions. After I had a few years of piano playing, my interests turned immediately to conducting..."
As Artistic Director, Shlomo Mintz feels that his services contribute directly to the community : "When an orchestra has a clear direction, it serves as an example for the community and its music education."
The
EDUCATOR
Shlomo Mintz is one of the founders of the Keshet Eilon International Violin Mastercourse in Israel, an advanced-level summer program for young talented violinists from all around the world in Kibbutz Eilon, Israel. He was their Patron for eighteen years (1992-2010). Between 2002 - 2011, he has been the President of the Jury of the Sion Valais-International Violin Competition in Switzerland, and the Artistic Director of Crans Montana Classics, a high-level violin Mastercourse in Switzerland, for seven years (2012 - 2018).
Mintz has been a member of many international competition juries in the past, such as the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1993) and the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels (1993 and 2001). In October 2001 Mr. Mintz was the President of the Jury of the International Henryk Wieniawski Competition for the Violin in Poznań, Poland.
Currently, he is the Mentor and President of the Jury of the International Violin Competition Buenos Aires in Argentina, President of Jury and Artistic Director of Tucuman (Argentina) Festival and National Violin Competition, as well as the president of the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in Japan and the Ilona Fehér Budapest Violin Competition in Hungary.