SHLOMO MINTZ – EN

Shlomo Mintz

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.

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.

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.

Premio Accademia Musicale Chigiana 1984
Diapason D’Or 1981
Grand Prix du Disque 1992, 1997, 1998
Gramophone Award 1994
Edison Award 1985 for the Prokofiev Violin Concertos, recording with Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Claudio Abbado.
Edison Award 2001, 2007
Honorary Doctoral Degree In 2006 Shlomo Mintz was granted a Honorary Doctoral Degree by the Ben-Gurion University, Israel.
Cremona Music Award, 2016

Artistic Director of Crans Montana Classics, 2012 – present?
Artistic Director of the International Music Festival Sion Valais, 2002 – 2012
Principal guest conductor of Zagreb Philharmonic, 2008-2010?
Arena di Verona, 1999-2000?
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.

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.

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.”?

“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…”