Biography

Violinist Leila Josefowicz has won the hearts of audiences around the world with her honest, fresh approach to the repertoire and her dynamic virtuosity.

Ms. Josefowicz came to national attention in 1994 when she made her Carnegie Hall debut with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and has since appeared with many of the world's most prestigious orchestras and eminent conductors.  A regular, close collaborator of leading composers of the day such as John Adams and Oliver Knussen, she is a strong advocate of new music - a characteristic which is reflected in her diverse programs and her enthusiasm for premiering new works.  During the 08/09 and 9/10 seasons, Ms. Josefowicz will premiere concertos written for her by Esa-Pekka Salonen with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Steve Mackey with the St. Louis Symphony; and Colin Matthews with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Recent appearances in North America include performances with the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago, Toronto, Atlanta, Detroit, Baltimore, Dallas and Cincinnati symphonies; a performance of John Adams' Violin Concerto in Carnegie Hall with the American Composers Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Adams; and recitals in San Francisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.

During her 2008/09 season, Ms. Josefowicz returns to the Minnesota Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh, Montreal, Houston, National and Syracuse symphonies; tours South America; and plays the debut performances of the Thomas Adès Violin Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco, Seattle and Alabama symphonies.

Equally active internationally, recent and upcoming engagements in Europe and Asia include appearances with the Royal Concertgebouw and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestras, London, Munich and Czech Philharmonics, Finnish Radio Orchestra, BBC Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic; a tour with the London Symphony Orchestra playing Adam's Dharma on Big Sur with Adams conducting; recital and chamber music performances at the Verbier Festival; and a fourth appearance at the London Proms.

No stranger to television, Leila Josefowicz has appeared on numerous national broadcasts such as The Tonight Show, Evening at Pops and PBS' Live from Lincoln Center.  Her most recent television appearance was Eugenia Zukerman's profile of her on CBS Sunday Morning.  In January 2002, her performance of John Adams' Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony was televised and broadcast throughout Europe by the BBC.

Ms. Josefowicz’s debut recording with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in 1994 for Philips Classics was awarded a Diapason d’or. Subsequent releases on that label include Solo, a disc of unaccompanied works, which also won a Diapason d’or; Bohemian Rhapsodies, a collection of virtuosic works with orchestra; For the End of Time and Americana with pianist John Novacek; and the Mendelssohn, Glazunov and Prokofiev concertos with the Montreal Symphony/Dutoit.  Additional releases include a live recording of her performance of the Adams Violin Concerto with John Adams conducting on the BBC label and Adams' Road Movies, which received a 2004 Grammy nomination, for Nonesuch.  Her most recent releases are a recital disc and the Shostakovich Violin Sonata and Concerto No. 1 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Oramo, which received a 2007 ECHO Award, both for Warner Classics, and a live recording of the Knussen concerto conducted by the composer at the London Proms for Deutsche Gramophone.

A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1994 as well as a 2007 United States Artists Cummings Fellowship, Leila Josefowicz is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Jaime Laredo and Jascha Brodsky. Ms. Josefowicz currently performs on a Del Gesu made in 1724.

May 2008

Personal

Leila currently lives in New York City with her 7 year old son Lukas.

PersonalPianist John Novacek

Leila met her recital partner, pianist John Novacek, when she was just 8 years old and has collaborated with him for each recital ever since.

Pianist John Novacek

In addition to her regular violin, a 1724 Guraneri del Gesu, Leila has learned to play a Violectra made by David Bruce Johnson. This 6 string electric violin tunes as a normal violin with added C and F strings, which helps it produce a deep tone similar to a cello's range. Leila learned to play the Violectra specifically for "Dharma at Big Sur" by John Adams.

Professional

Email Leila a question or comment and each month she will answer 5 lucky fans personally.