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Axel Strauss, violin 
In 1998, violinist Axel Strauss became the first German artist ever to win the Naumburg Violin Award, and in the seasons since, he has been equally acclaimed for his virtuosity and his musical sensitivity. The Salt Lake Tribune praised his well-rounded artistry by saying, “Strauss quickly established that he is a virtuoso to be reckoned with. But amid his technical acumen, there was a genuine musician. His interpretive prowess was delightful.” Axel, who has been residing in the United States since 1996, maintains a busy performance schedule and serves as Professor of Violin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In January 2007 at the Conservatory he performed the World Premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’ “Two Awakenings and a Double Lullaby.” He has been heard on concert stages throughout Europe since his recital debut in Hamburg in 1988 and his concerto debut with the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic two years later. At the age of seventeen he won the silver medal at the Enescu Competition in Romania and has been recognized with many other awards, including top prizes in the Bach, Wieniawski and Kocian competitions. After violin studies in Germany with Prof. Petru Munteanu he began working with Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School and became her teaching assistant in 1998. He has also worked with Itzhak Perlman, Felix Galimir, and Ruggiero Ricci, and at the Marlboro Music Festival with Mitsuko Uchida, Andras Schiff, and Bruno Canino. Axel made his American debut at the Library of Congress in Washington DC and his first of many New York concerts was presented at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in 1998. He has given recitals in major US cities and has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Hamburg Symphony, the Naples Philharmonic and the Budapest Philharmonic. He has worked with conductors such as Maxim Shostakovitch, Rico Saccani, Joseph Silverstein, Gerhardt Zimmermann and Pedro Halffter. Axel frequently performs at music festivals in the States and abroad, including the Moab Music Festival in Utah, the International Music Academy and Festival in Seoul in Korea, and the Kammermusiktage Mettlach in Germany. His recordings include the Violin Concerto and the Sonatas Opus 120 by Brahms, the Duo for Violin and Cello by Kodaly and a selection of Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words,” arranged for violin and piano. Most recently a recording of a recital at New York’s Steinway Hall has been released on DVD. Axel performs on an outstanding violin by J.F. Pressenda, Turin 1845, on extended loan through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society in Chicago. Please visit www.axelstrauss.com for more information. |
