The Artistry of Augustin Hadelich

Augustin Hadelich is one of today’s great violinists. He has mastered a wide-ranging and adventurous repertoire and is often referred to by colleagues as a musician’s musician. Named Musical America’s 2018 “Instrumentalist of the Year”, he is consistently cited worldwide for his phenomenal technique, soulful approach, and insightful interpretations.

Augustin won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his recording of Dutilleux’s Violin Concerto, L’Arbre des songes, with the Seattle Symphony under Ludovic Morlot (Seattle Symphony MEDIA). A Warner Classics Artist, his first release was a recording of Paganini’s 24 Caprices in 2018. His Brahms and Ligeti violin concertos with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra under Miguel Harth-Bedoya, followed in 2019. A new recording Bohemian Tales, including the Dvořák Violin Concerto with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra conducted by Jakub Hrůša, was released in 2020 to high acclaim. Other recent discs include live recordings of the violin concertos of Tchaikovsky and Lalo (Symphonie espagnole) with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on the LPO label (2017) and a series of releases on the AVIE label, including a CD of the violin concertos by Jean Sibelius and Thomas Adès (Concentric Paths), with Hannu Lintu conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (2014). This disc was nominated for a Gramophone Award and listed by NPR as one of its Top 10 Classical CDs of the year.

Born in Italy, the son of German parents, Augustin is now an American citizen. He holds an artist diploma from The Juilliard School, where he was a student of Joel Smirnoff. He is recipient of the Gold Medal at the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, an Avery Fisher Career Grant (2009), a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship (2011), the inaugural Warner Music Prize (2015), a Grammy Award (2016), and an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter (2017).

Augustin Hadelich plays the “Leduc, ex-Szeryng” by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù of 1744, generously loaned by a patron through the Tarisio Trust.
www.augustin-hadelich.com

Jonathan Fischer joined the Houston Symphony as principal oboe in September 2012 and was invited to join the faculty of the University of Houston in September 2014. Prior to his appointment with the Houston Symphony, Fischer served as associate principal oboe with the San Francisco Symphony for nine seasons. He has also held positions with The Cleveland Orchestra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Savannah Symphony, and the New World Symphony. Fischer has performed as a guest principal with many of the nation’s leading orchestras including the Boston, Chicago, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Louis and Atlanta Symphonies, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has performed as a soloist with the Houston Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, New World Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.

Fischer currently teaches at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music and Texas Music Festival. He has taught and performed at the Aspen Music Festival and the Oberlin Conservatory. He has given masterclasses at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the San Francisco Conservatory, Rice University, and University of Michigan, and has been a coach at the New World Symphony. He holds a degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Richard Woodhams.

A native of South Carolina, Fischer now enjoys living in the Heights with his dog, a Louisiana Catahoula mix.