From the world's top violin elite as a soloist and chamber musician to her role as artistic director and respected professor, Julia Fischer embodies artistic versatility to perfection. With her extraordinary virtuosity, musical passion and great facet, she has earned a unique place among musical greats. In the process, she has been honored with numerous prestigious awards such as the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Culture Prize and the Bavarian Order of Maximilian in recognition of her role as an outstanding cultural ambassador.
Early in her career, Julia Fischer set a milestone by winning first prize at the international Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 1995. Since then, she has conquered the world's stages and worked with renowned conductors, including Herbert Blomstedt, Alan Gilbert, Jakub Hrůša, Vladimir Jurowski, Juanjo Mena, Riccardo Muti, Kirill Petrenko, Vasily Petrenko, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Thomas Søndergård, Michael Sanderling, Yuri Temirkanov, Christian Thielemann, Michael Tilson-Thomas and Franz Welser-Möst. Their interpretations are characterized by technical brilliance and deep emotional intensity that captivates the audience.
This season, Julia Fischer has been invited to perform as soloist at the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm in December 2023, together with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Other concerts will take her to Frankfurt with the hr-Sinfonieorchester and Alain Altinoglu, to Cologne and Munich with the WDR Sinfonieorchester and Cristian Măcelaru, to the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner with the world premiere of Daniel Kidane's Violin Concerto dedicated to her, and to the USA with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas. Julia Fischer will tour with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Vasily Petrenko to northern Italy, and with her long-standing association with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields through Spain in February and throughout Europe in May.
As an enthusiastic chamber musician, Julia Fischer has forged close musical partnerships: With cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, she can be heard for the first time in a trio at the major festivals in the summer of 2024, and she also performs regularly with pianist Jan Lisiecki. In 2011 she founded the Julia Fischer Quartet, which formed a musical unit with Alexander Sitkovetsky, Nils Mönkemeyer and Benjamin Nyffenegger. Together they enchant audiences at the most sought-after concert venues around the globe. In the current season, a major European tour will take them from London to Frankfurt, Zurich, Prague and Madrid.
From 2024, Julia Fischer and Benjamin Nyffenegger will take over the artistic direction of the prestigious Boswiler Sommer chamber music festival in Aargau, Switzerland - another task for the artist who is always striving for new musical horizons.
Julia Fischer's remarkable talent is also recognized on numerous recordings. She has been honored with prestigious awards such as the BBC Music Magazine Award, the Gramophone Award and the German Record Critics' Prize. Since 2017, she has presented her masterpieces exclusively on JF CLUB, her own platform where she releases her latest recordings and offers members personal insights into her work. In 2021, a limited JF CLUB edition of Eugène Ysaye's sonatas was released exclusively on vinyl by Hänssler Classic.
Not only does Julia Fischer perform as a celebrated violinist, but she also takes her role as a mentor seriously and is passionately committed to supporting young talent. She also regularly performs in concerts together with her students. With master classes and her founding of the Children's Symphony Orchestra, she opens doors to the classical world for the youngest musicians.
Julia Fischer began her musical education at the age of three. She first received violin lessons and shortly thereafter piano lessons from her mother Viera Fischer. At the age of nine, she became a junior student of the famous violin professor Ana Chumachenco in Munich.
On her century-old violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from 1742 and a modern violin by Philipp Augustin from 2018, Julia Fischer brings music to life.