In the giant sea of musicians across the globe, we've picked out the top 6 violinists in the world who have grown from being child prodigies to life-long professionals.
1. Hilary Hanh
She is a Grammy Award-winning violinist and is considered one of the best violinists of her generation. Learning the violin since she was four years old, she has been perfecting her craft over time and has produced some of the most virtuosic performances of the modern age. Apart from being a three-time Grammy award winner, she has also been honored with the Edison prize.
See video here: Hilary Hahn Being Epic For 17 Minutes! - CLIPS - YouTube
2. Ray Chen
Also learning the violin since the age of four, Ray Chen is a most accomplished musician who is a natural performer, captivating audiences by bringing the music to life. He completed all 10 levels of the Suzuki books within the space of just five years whilst in Australia and played solo with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra at age eight! He has been featured in Vogue magazine and is recognised as one of the most gifted violinists of our time.
3. Joshua Bell
A man of many talents, Joshua boasts being labelled as one of the greatest violinists in the world, having performed with virtually ever major orchestra worldwide. He has been playing the violin since age four and claims many titles, including violin soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, conductor and Music Director. His musical innovation has been utilised in recent years to create a unique music education curriculum, partnering with Trala. He has recorded more than 40 albums across his four-decade-long career, and he has even performed for three American presidents, including Barack Obama!
4. Clara Jumi-Kang
Clara is a South Korean-German classical violinist who has been playing since she was three years old, and she has performed with symphony orchestras since the age of five. She is a very accomplished musician who has performed with more than twelve different leading orchestras around the world. She has won various violin competitions and was awarded a full scholarship to the Julliard School when she was only seven years old!
5. Janine Jansen
Janine has won various prizes, including the Vermeer Prize, five Edison awards, the Concertgebouw Prize and more. She began her violin studies at the age of six and comes from a very musical family in the Netherlands. Her performances command standing ovations, for instance, where she played in front of a crowd of 25,000 people with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the entire concert was sold out. She is also credited with starting her own chamber music festival in Utrecht.
6. Itzhak Perlman
This gifted Israeli-American violinist is best known for his attention to detail and brilliant virtuoso technique. He started learning the violin from a very young age, but was soon diagnosed with polio disease - however, that was no obstacle to his highly successful career and he has many achievements to his name. He is credited with playing as the solo violinist for John William's score for the movie Schindler's List (1993) and has performed for Barack Obama. He has also played for Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh at the state dinner hosted by President George W. Bush at the White House.
See video here: John Williams: Schindler´s List Theme - Itzhak Perlman - YouTube
