Shlomo Mintz, violinist & conductor
“Call it “Sprezzatura”: the art to achieve a high degree of perfection in a seemingly casual way..”
Virtuoso violinist, violist, and conductor
Critics, colleagues, and audiences regard Shlomo Mintz as one of the foremost violinists of our time, esteemed for his impeccable musicianship, stylistic versatility, and commanding technique.
This virtuoso violinist, violist, and conductor regularly appears on the international stage with well-known orchestras and conductors and is also a much sought-after chamber musician. Mintz’s style is compared with the old violin masters who laid the foundations of modern violin playing: rich, full tone and lush vibrato.
His powerful bow use, intensity, and ability to make the violin sound at times harrowing are other hallmarks of his playing.
Ilona Feher, Isaac Stern, and Dorothy Delay
Born in Moscow in 1957, he immigrated to Israel with his family two years later, where he studied the violin with Ilona Feher. At age 11, he made his concert debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and at age 16, he debuted at Carnegie Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the patronage of Isaac Stern. He began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York.
Prizes and special awards
Shlomo Mintz has won several prestigious prizes, including the Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Diapason d’Or, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Gramophone Award, the Edison Award, and the Cremona Music Award 2016.
In 2006, he received an Honorary Degree from Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, Israel.
Prestigious International Competitions
Regularly invited by the most prestigious international competitions, Mintz has served as a jury member of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels, and the International Henryk Wieniawski Competition in Poznań, Poland.
He was also invited to serve as jury president of the Schoenfeld International String Competition and the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition in Japan for several years. From 2002 to 2011, he served as jury president of the Sion Valais-International Violin Competition, and from 2012 to 2018, as Artistic Director of the Crans-Montana Classics Festival and Mastercourse, both in Switzerland.
Mentor and President of the Jury of the International Violin Competition Buenos Aires in Argentina, he is also the president of the Ilona Fehér Budapest Violin Competition in Hungary.
Shlomo Mintz Academy
He regularly conducts masterclasses worldwide and collaborates with prestigious institutions. He also teaches through his online Academy, Shlomo Mintz Academy, created during the coronavirus pandemic to keep young violinists connected.
Maestro Mintz continues to receive invitations to conduct and play with orchestras and festivals worldwide, and next season he has been invited to perform in Italy, Romania, Germany, the US, Japan, Hungary, Korea, Vietnam, China, Argentina, among other countries.
Management
Cicerone Music & Art represents Shlomo Mintz for special projects. Contact us for more info and bookings.