Thomas Zehetmair is one of the most significant violinists of his generation. He enjoys a successful international career thrilling audiences and critics with his abilities as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor.

In Europe, Thomas is a regular guest of the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden and the German Radio Symphony Orchestras. He also performs with the NHK Tokyo Orchestra and with the Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra in the US.

Besides his commitment to the standard violin repertoire, he dedicates a large part of his artistic activities to contemporary music. He has given a number of first performances, most recently the violin concerto written for him by Heinz Holliger and the violin concertos of James Dillon and Hans-Jürgen von Bose.

As chamber musician, Thomas Zehetmair plays with many distinguished colleagues and in several formations. In 1994 he formed the internationally highly acclaimed Zehetmair Quartet, with whom he has recorded string quartets by Hartmann, Hindemith, Bartok and Schumann on the ECM New Series.

Thomas Zehetmair has recorded nearly the entire violin repertoire on CD. His latest CD releases include the Ysaye Sonatas for solo violin, the Holliger Violin Concerto with the SWR Sinfonie-Orchester, which was conducted by the composer, and the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

More recently Thomas launched a second career as a conductor: In the 2002/2003 season he took up his appointment as Music Director of the Northern Sinfonia, a Founding Partner of The Sage Gateshead.

Thomas Zehetmair holds an honorary doctorate from the Music Academy Franz Liszt in Weimar.

Salzburger Nachrichten -  Aug.31st,2009:

"Thomas Zehetmair's packed-in listeners were motionless due to the uncommonly stupendous technique, control of the material, refined sound, open virtuosity, vivid brilliance and an almost inexhaustible, extraordinarily promising abundance of attitude and tonal quality in his playing... A memorable evening".

 

Thomas Zehetmair nella doppia veste di solista e direttore
L'incisione del Concerto per Violino di Brahms e delle Sinfonia no.4 di Schumann (nella versione originale del 1841)- recentemente pubblicata da Avie- è un'altra prova della ottima collaborazione di Thomas Zehetmair con la Northern Sinfonia , di cui è direttore principale dalla stagione 2002/03

"Zehetmair's daring success" di Erik Levi in: BBC Music Magazine- Luglio 2007- Disco del Mese
"Mutual trust is absolutely necessary as well as enough rehearsal time. The goal is more freedom and a very direct contact between soloist and orchestra."
"(...) The interpretation achieves a level of intimacy between soloist and orchestra that is almost unrivalled elsewhere(...)."
"(...) In the ensuing Adagio Zehetmair establishes a wonderfully fluid tempo that allows the phrases sufficient space to breathe yet maintains a real sense of creative dialogue between the violin and the solo wind instruments (...)."