Stephen Waarts (born 1996) is a

Dutch American Dutch Americans ( nl, Nederlandse Amerikanen) are Americans of Dutch descent whose ancestors came from the Netherlands in the recent or distant past. Dutch settlement in the Americas started in 1613 with New Amsterdam, which was exchanged with ...

violinist. He was the first prize winner in the senior division of the 2014 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in Austin, Texas. He was also the fifth prize winner of the 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition in

Brussels, Belgium Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Life and career

Born in America, with a twin brother and younger sister, Waarts began his violin studies at age 5 and piano studies at age 8, with Krishnabai Lewis and Jenny Rudin, starting with

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

violin lessons. At 14, Waarts simultaneously graduated high school and the

San Francisco Conservatory The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hod ...

Preparatory Division studying with Li Lin and was accepted at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he was a student under Aarond Rosand since 2010. Waarts was also a student of

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...

at the Perlman Music Program and currently studies at Kronberg Academy as a student of Mihaela Martin. He also studied piano with Annie Petit, while pursuing his Bachelor of Music degree. Waarts has performed at venues like Weimar Hall in Germany, Moscow State University, Teatro Gayarre in Spain, Oslo Conservatory,

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

Herbst Theater Herbst is the German word for autumn or fall. Herbst may also refer to: Surnames * Christoph Maria Herbst (born 1966), German actor and comedian * Eduard Herbst (1820–1892), Austrian jurist and statesman * János Herbst (1956–2015), Hunga ...

in San Francisco, Ford Amphitheater in Los Angeles, and Field Concert Hall in Philadelphia. He has also performed with

San Francisco Chamber Orchestra The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra (SFCO) is a professional chamber orchestra in San Francisco, California, that presents small orchestra and chamber ensemble performances in the Bay Area. The SFCO was founded by Emanuel Leplin in 1952.Progra ...

, Cleveland Orchestra, Austin Symphony, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchester,

Szczecin Philharmonic Szczecin Philharmonic, officially Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic ( pl, Filharmonia im. Mieczysława Karłowicza), founded in 1948, is a philharmonic of the city of Szczecin, Poland.

, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Munich Philharmonic,

Kansas City Symphony The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) is a United States symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The current music director is conductor Michael Stern. The Symphony performs at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 1601 Bro ...

, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and Lucerne Symphony Orchestra He also released an album in 2018 with pianist Gabriele Carcano featuring works by Schumann and Bartók and released another one in 2020 called ''Hindemith Kammermusik nr. 4'', after ''Kammermusik'' No. 4. Waarts has played on violins such as an 1868 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume and a c.1750 Pietro Guarneri of Venice violin, on loan through the

Stradivari Society The Stradivari Society is a philanthropic organization based in Chicago, Illinois, best known for its arranging deals between owners of antique string instruments such as those made by luthiers Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri, for use by t ...

with bows made by Dominique Peccatte.

Awards and appearances

* 2010: Second prize, junior division, Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists * 2010: First prize, Junior division, International Louis Spohr Competition for Young Violinists * 2010: Prize winner, Khuner Young Artists Concerto Competition * 2011: Prize winner, Sarasate Competition * 2013: Second prize, Montreal International Competition * 2013: Audience prize, Montreal International Competition * 2014: First prize, senior division, Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists * 2015: Fifth prize, Queen Elisabeth Competition * 2017: Recipient,

Avery Fisher Career Grant {{third-party, date=November 2017 The Avery Fisher Career Grant, established by Avery Fisher, is an award given to up to five outstanding instrumentalists each year (since 2004, chamber music groups are also eligible). The Career Grants are a part o ...

* 2019: Orchestra Award, International Classical Music Awards * 2020:

Debut at

Zankel Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built b ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waarts, Stephen 1996 births American violinists Dutch violinists Living people Male violinists