Biography

Violinist Julia Fischer is a versatile musician also known as a pianist, chamber player, and teacher. Born in Munich to German-Slovakian parents, she received first prize at the international Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 1995 and has since performed with top orchestras worldwide. She made her San Francisco Symphony debut in 2001.

This season Ms. Fischer tours Europe with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Royal Philharmonic. She holds a residency in Prague, performing chamber music with members of the Czech Philharmonic in addition to a recital and string quartet program. In December she joined Esa-Pekka Salonen for the televised Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm, and in March gives the world premiere of Daniel Kidane’s violin concerto with the London Philharmonic.

Over the course of her career, Ms. Fischer has released numerous acclaimed recordings on Pentatone and Decca, and in 2017 launched her own music platform, the JF CLUB, which offers exclusive audio and video footage as well as personal insight into her music and her work.

In 2010 Ms. Fischer founded the Julia Fischer Quartet and marked her professional debut as a pianist at the Alte Oper Frankfurt. Teaching is another integral part of her musical life, and in 2019 she founded a children’s orchestra in Munich. She holds numerous awards including the Federal Cross of Merit, Gramophone Award, German Culture Prize, and Cultural Honorary Prize of the City of Munich. She plays a 1742 violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini as well as an 2018 instrument made by Philipp Augustin.