The world's top violin soloist that cannot be toppeled.
"One of the most talented violinists of today" - The New York Sun -
"Schmidt has me hooked from the beginning - phrases crafted with skin-rising delicacy that touch an uplifting soul. A violin of the highest order, the royal road."
-Strad Magazine, London-
Benjamin Schmid
Born in Vienna in 1968 and raised in Salzburg. In 1985, at the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition, he won first place in the classical section and was a finalist in the improvisation/jazz section. In 1992, he won the 1st prize at the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, the Best Mozart Concerto, the Best Beethoven Concerto, and the Audience Award. Since then, he has performed with the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and other famous conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Christoph von Dohnanyi, David Zinman, and Ingo Metzmacher. co-star.
Arguably one of the most versatile violinists active today - his vast repertoire and the quality of his performance as a soloist, from standards to Hartmann, Gulda, Korngold, Mutspiel, Szymanowski, Lutoslawski, Schoenberg, etc. he also has an extraordinary talent for jazz improvisation. He has released over 40 CDs, all of which have been highly acclaimed, winning numerous awards including the German Record Award, the Echo Classic Award, the Gramophone Editor's Choice, and The Strad's Strad Selection Award to name a few.
In June 2007, he performed as a soloist (for 3 days which is very unusual) at the regular concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa. At the 2007 Salzburg Festival, he performed with Hélène Grimaud (piano) and Clemens Hagen (cello). In June 2011, he performed Paganini-Kreisler's concerto again with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, this time at the "Schönbrunn Summer Night Concert 2011" under the direction of Valery Gergiev, which was televised worldwide. A film about Schmidt's career as a violinist has also been produced and aired around the world.
He uses a 1731 Stradivarius and gives more than 80 concerts a year around the world. He is a professor at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg and frequently gives master classes in Bern, Switzerland. In the summer of 2006, he received the Salzburg City International Arts and Culture Award. He currently lives in Salzburg with his wife(also a pianist), and his four children.