Biography of Shlomo Mintz

Early life

• Born in Moscow in 1957
• Emigrated  to Israel at age 2
• Started to play the violin with his father at the age of 3 and a half
• Studied with the renowned Ilona Feher from 6 to 16 years of age
• Concerto debut with the Israel Philharmonic at age 11
• Played Paganini Violin Concerto at age 13

Student's life

• Carnegie Hall debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at age 16.
• American-Israel Cultural Foundation award recipient, under the auspices of Isaac Stern.
• Began his studies with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, age 16 to 21
• Toured throughout Europe with famous conductors, such as Carlo-Maria Giulini, Antal Dorati and Eugene Ormandi.
• Signed a major contract with Deutsche Grammophon

Prizes and Awards

• 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.

Patron Keshet Eilon

For eighteen years, Shlomo Mintz has been the patron of the Keshet Eilon International Violin Master Course in Israel (1992-2010). This advanced-level summer program offers young talented violinists from around the world an exceptional music experience in a unique setting. With Mintz’s help, Keshet Eilon has put its name high on the list of the International Summer courses.

President and member of International Violin Competition Juries

Member of the jury of many important international competitions, including :

• Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels 1993 and 2001
• Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow - 1993

Presidency

• International Henryk Wieniawski Competition for the Violin Poznan, Poland October 2001
• International Violin Competition Sion Valais Switzerland 2002 – 2011
• 1st Buenos Aires International Violin Competition 2009 – present
• Munetsugu Angel Violin Competition 2007 - present