STEPHEN WAARTS

Stephen Waarts’ innate and poetic musical voice has established him as a firm favourite with audiences across the globe.

Highlights of recent seasons include concertos with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, Belgian National Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Berner Symphonieorchester, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and Israel Philharmonic, working with conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Andras Schiff, Hannu Lintu, Marin Alsop, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Dalia Stasevska, Robert Spano, Maxime Pascal, Markus Stenz, Elim Chan, and Thomas Ades.

In the 26-27 season, Stephen will appear with the Musikalische Akademie Mannheim, Würzburg Philharmoniker, Mantova Chamber Orchestra, and at Wigmore Hall, Vancouver Recital Society, Paul Klee Zentrum Bern, Klosters Music, and the Shanghai Symphony’s Z+ Festival amongst others.  Stephen will also perform Beethoven’s complete Violin Sonatas and Piano Trios with Andras Schiff and Julia Hagen at the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, with further cycles planned at other venues including Wigmore Hall.

August 2026 sees the release of Stephen’s latest recording: Donnacha Dennehy’s Violin Concerto, with the National Symphony of Ireland and Ryan McAdams on Nonesuch Records.  Other recent recordings include Mozart Violin Concerto No.1 on Alpha Classics, and Hindemith Kammermusik No.4, as part of Ondine Classic’s cycle of the works with Christoph Eschenbach and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra.

A dedicated recitalist and chamber musician, Stephen’s regular partners include Sir Andras Schiff, Tabea Zimmermann, Martin Helmchen, Marie-Elisabeth Hecker, Timothy Ridout, Julia Hagen, Juho Pohjonen, and the Nash Ensemble. Stephen regularly appears at renowned festivals including Aspen, Verbier, La Jolla, Gstaad, Bath, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Rheingau. He has also appeared in recitals at Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center, Auditorium du Louvre, Fundación Juan March, San Francisco Performances, and the Vancouver Recital Society. In 2023, out of the wish to connect more regularly with local audiences, he co-founded the Amsterdam concert series De Klassieke Duif, now in its fourth season, where he is co-Artistic Director.

Stephen studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with Aaron Rosand, and at the Kronberg Academy with Mihaela Martin. He was awarded the ICMA Orchestra Award by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra in 2019, and in March 2017 the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has also won the Menuhin Competition and Young Concert Artists Auditions, and his prize-winning success at the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition – including securing the majority vote of the television audience – boosted international attention.

August 2026