| Biography | Shlomo Mintz (born October 30, 1957) is an Israeli violin virtuoso, violist and conductor. He regularly appears with orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music concerts around the world.
Shlomo Mintz was born in Moscow. In 1959, at the age of two, his family immigrated to Israel, where he studied with Ilona Feher, one of the last representatives of the Central European Violin School. Feher introduced Shlomo Mintz to Isaac Stern, who became his mentor. He was also a student of Dorothy DeLay in New York.
Mintz began his career at age 11 as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Soon afterwards he was called on a week's notice by Zubin Mehta to play Paganini's first Violin Concerto with the orchestra when Itzhak Perlman fell ill. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of sixteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the auspices of Isaac Stern and the American-Israel Cultural Foundation, and subsequently began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. At the age of 20 he made a big tour through Europe with famous conductors such as Carlo Maria Giulini, Antal Dorati, and Eugene Ormandy. He also signes at his early twenties a contract with Deutsche Grammophon.
In 1997 he played Paganini's famous "Il Cannone", a violin made by Italian luthier Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù in 1742, during a special concert in Maastricht in the Netherlands with the Limburg Symphony Orchestra and conductor Yoel Levi. This concert was an initiative of a Dutch television network (TROS) and aired on TV in December 1997. In 2012 Shlomo Mintz celebrates his 50th year on stage.
At the age of eighteen, Shlomo Mintz added the role of conductor to his artistic endeavours and has since conducted acclaimed orchestras worldwide, such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (United Kingdom), the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Japan) and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He was Music Advisor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra from 1989 to 1993 and in March 1994 he was named Artistic Advisor and Principal Guest Conductor of the Maastricht Symphony Orchestra (The Netherlands). He led the orchestra in weeks of concerts during four seasons, including some as both conductor and violin soloist. In 2008 Shlomo Mintz was named Principal Guest Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra.
Since 2002 Shlomo Mintz is the Artistic Director of the Sion-Valais International Music Festival International Music Festival Sion Valais
Shlomo Mintz gives master classes worldwide. Starting from summer 2012, he will give Master Classes in Crans Montana (CH) Crans Montana Classics. Mintz is Mentor and President of the Jury of the International Violin Competition Buenos Aires Violin Buenos Aires. He is the President of the Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition Japan. He has been a member of the jury of international competitions 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 President of the Jury of the International Henryk Wieniawski Competition for the Violin in Poznan, Poland. From 2002 - 2011 he has been the President of the Jury of the Sion Valais-International Violin Competition in Switzerland. 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 has been their Patron for eighteen years (1992-2010).
In January 2012 Shlomo Mintz launched his 1st Online Music Academy. In order to contribute to the development of the next generation a possibility was created to download lessons online. The Online Music Academy gives the opportunity to acquire, at home, through a series of online lessons, the mastery and musical sensitivity required for interpreting the great classical repertory. By keeping the price low and offering lessons of 45 minutes, this 1st Online Academy will be accessible to a worldwide audience of classical music interpreters and lovers. The 1st Online Music Academy combines nowerdays technique and the experiences of many great musicians for the new generation and everyone else, who can benefit from a vast collection of knowledge.
Shlomo Mintz is one of the main actors in the "Violins of Hope" project together with violinmaker Amnon Weinstein. Twenty-four violins of owners who lost their lives in ghettos and concentration camps during World War II were restored by Amnon Weinstein and are used again at several occasions. Eighteen of them were exhibited in 2010 for the 1st time at a world premiere in Sion (Valais), with pictures of Lucille Reyboz and videos by Blue Press Agency. The Violins of Hope participated in several events throughout the world (Paris, Maastricht, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Charlotte (USA)) and were first heard during a concert in Jerusalem for the celebration of the 60 years of the State of Israel (2008). |