“I’m convinced he is the real deal.” (Gramophone)
Stephen Waarts’ innate and poetic musical voice has established him as a firm favourite with audiences across the globe. In the 2025/26 season, Waarts makes his debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Timothy Ridout under conductor Mark Wigglesworth, and with West-Virginia Symphony performing Brahms Double Concerto with cellist Hayoung Choi, conducted by Maurice Cohn. He will also return to Wigmore Hall, Festspiele Mecklenberg-Vorpommern, Verbier Festival and Meininger Hofkapelle performing Ligeti Concerto with Killian Farrell.
Highlights of recent seasons include appearances with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, City of Birmingham Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Oregon Symphony, Berner Symphonieorchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Fort Worth Symphony, and Orchestre de Picardie and, with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Andras Schiff, Marin Alsop, Hannu Lintu, Constantinos Carydis, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Dalia Stasevska, Robert Spano, Maxime Pascal, Markus Stenz, Elim Chan and Thomas Ades.
A passionate recitalist and chamber musician, Waarts’ regular chamber partners include Sir Andras Schiff,
Francesco Piemontesi, Daniel Müller-Schott, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Timothy Ridout, Tabea Zimmermann, and Martin Helmchen. Waarts has appeared at renowned festivals including Aspen, Marlboro, Gstaad, and Rheingau. He has also appeared in recitals at Philharmonie Luxembourg, Philharmonie Haarlem, Fundación Juan March, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Auditorium du Louvre, Boulez Saal, San Francisco Performances and Vancouver Recital Society.
In Waarts’ discography, 2022 marked the release of his highly anticipated first concerto recording for Alpha Classics: Mozart Violin Concerto No.1 with the Camerata Schweiz under Howard Griffiths. Other notable releases include Hindemith Kammermusik No.4, as part of Ondine Classic’s Kammermusik cycle with Christoph Eschenbach, the Kronberg Academy Soloists and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in 2020.
Stephen studied at the Kronberg Academy under Mihaela Martin, and at the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia, with Aaron Rosand. He was awarded the International Classical Music Awards Orchestra Award by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and in March 2017 the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. He also won Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s soloist award the same year and has performed at the festival every year since. In 2015, he was awarded a scholarship from Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund following his appearance at Krzyżowa-Music. In the same year, his prize-winning success at the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition – including securing the majority vote of the television audience – boosted international attention.
February 2026
“I’m convinced he is the real deal.” (Gramophone)
Stephen Waarts’ innate and poetic musical voice has established him as a firm favourite with audiences across the globe. In the 2025/26 season, Waarts makes his debut with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performing Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Timothy Ridout under conductor Mark Wigglesworth, and with West-Virginia Symphony performing Brahms Double Concerto with cellist Hayoung Choi, conducted by Maurice Cohn. He will also return to Wigmore Hall, Festspiele Mecklenberg-Vorpommern, Verbier Festival and Meininger Hofkapelle performing Ligeti Concerto with Killian Farrell.
Highlights of recent seasons include appearances with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, City of Birmingham Symphony, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Oregon Symphony, Berner Symphonieorchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Fort Worth Symphony, and Orchestre de Picardie and, with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Andras Schiff, Marin Alsop, Hannu Lintu, Constantinos Carydis, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Dalia Stasevska, Robert Spano, Maxime Pascal, Markus Stenz, Elim Chan and Thomas Ades.
A passionate recitalist and chamber musician, Waarts’ regular chamber partners include Sir Andras Schiff,
Francesco Piemontesi, Daniel Müller-Schott, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Timothy Ridout, Tabea Zimmermann, and Martin Helmchen. Waarts has appeared at renowned festivals including Aspen, Marlboro, Gstaad, and Rheingau. He has also appeared in recitals at Philharmonie Luxembourg, Philharmonie Haarlem, Fundación Juan March, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Auditorium du Louvre, Boulez Saal, San Francisco Performances and Vancouver Recital Society.
In Waarts’ discography, 2022 marked the release of his highly anticipated first concerto recording for Alpha Classics: Mozart Violin Concerto No.1 with the Camerata Schweiz under Howard Griffiths. Other notable releases include Hindemith Kammermusik No.4, as part of Ondine Classic’s Kammermusik cycle with Christoph Eschenbach, the Kronberg Academy Soloists and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra in 2020.
Stephen studied at the Kronberg Academy under Mihaela Martin, and at the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia, with Aaron Rosand. He was awarded the International Classical Music Awards Orchestra Award by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and in March 2017 the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. He also won Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s soloist award the same year and has performed at the festival every year since. In 2015, he was awarded a scholarship from Mozart Gesellschaft Dortmund following his appearance at Krzyżowa-Music. In the same year, his prize-winning success at the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition – including securing the majority vote of the television audience – boosted international attention.
February 2026
Instrumentalists
