Thomas Zehetmair (born 23 November 1961) is an Austrian
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist and
conductor.
Biography
Zehetmair was born in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
, and studied at the
Salzburg Mozarteum
Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Moz ...
, where both of his parents taught. His festival debut was at age 16. He was in master classes with
Nathan Milstein
Nathan Mironovich Milstein ( – December 21, 1992) was a Russian-born American virtuoso violinist.
Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and ...
and
Max Rostal
Max Rostal (7 July 1905 – 6 August 1991) was a violinist and a viola player. He was Austrian-born, but later took British citizenship.
Biography
Max Rostal was born in Cieszyn to a Jewish merchant family. As a child prodigy, he started studyin ...
.
In 1994, Zehetmair formed a string quartet which bears his name. The Zehetmair Quartet performs all works entirely from memory, and learns one new programme a year. Zehetmair has made several recordings for
ECM, both as soloist and with his quartet.
Zehetmair later developed a parallel career in conducting. In November 2001, he was named Music Director and chief conductor of the
Northern Sinfonia
Royal Northern Sinfonia is a British chamber orchestra, founded in Newcastle upon Tyne and currently based in Gateshead. For the first 46 years of its history, the orchestra gave most of its concerts at the Newcastle City Hall. Since 2004, the o ...
(now the Royal Northern Sinfonia), his first conducting post, starting with the 2002–2003 season, for an initial contract of 3 years and 6 weeks of concerts each season.
In August 2005, he extended his contract for another 3 years through 2008. He concluded his music directorship of the Royal Northern Sinfonia after the 2013–2014 season, and now has the title of conductor laureate with the orchestra. He became an Artistic Partner of the
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is a full-time professional chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners, the orchestra's musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs ea ...
in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
in 2010. In June 2015, the
Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur
The Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur is a Swiss symphony orchestra based in Winterthur, Switzerland at its namesake venue, the Musikkollegium Winterthur. The orchestra performs around 60 concerts a year, and in addition to orchestra concerts, p ...
announced the appointment of Zehetmair as its next principal conductor, effective September 2016, with an initial contract of 3 seasons. He is scheduled to conclude his Winterthur tenure at the close of the 2020–2021 season.
In October 2017, the
Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra (Stuttgarter Kammerorchester) is a German chamber orchestra based in Stuttgart. Its principal concert venue is the Liederhalle, Stuttgart.
History
Karl Münchinger founded the orchestra in 1945, and served as its ...
announced the appointment of Zehetmair as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019–2020 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. In March 2021, the Orchestre national d'Auvergne announced the appointment of Zehetmair as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. Since May 2022, he has been Principal Conductor and Artistic Partner of the
Irish Chamber Orchestra
The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is an Irish classical music ensemble, administratively based at the University of Limerick.
János Fürst founded the ICO in 1963. The ICO consisted only of strings as its regular ensemble for many years, adding wi ...
.
Zehetmair is married to the violist Ruth Killius,
who is also a member of the Zehetmair Quartet. He holds honorary doctorates from the
Music Academy Franz Liszt in
Weimar
Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...
and
Newcastle University
Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...
.
References
External links
Askonas Holt agency biography2008 Brochure on The Sage, GatesheadNewcastle University honours Thomas Zehetmair with honorary doctorate in Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zehetmair, Thomas
Austrian classical violinists
Male classical violinists
Male conductors (music)
Austrian expatriates in the United Kingdom
Mozarteum University Salzburg alumni
1961 births
Living people
Musicians from Salzburg
21st-century Austrian conductors (music)
21st-century classical violinists
21st-century male musicians
20th-century Austrian conductors (music)
20th-century classical violinists
20th-century Austrian male musicians