Stephen Waarts

In the 2024/25 season, Waarts makes his debuts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing Brahms Violin Concerto under the baton of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Oregon Symphony and Hannu Lintu with Barber, Orchestre de Picardie and Johanna Malangré with Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.2, and Israel Camerata and Marc Minkowski playing Bach and Mozart. He also returns to the Hallé Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Szczecin Philharmonic, working with Thomas Adès, Markus Poschner and Sir Andras Schiff.

Highlights of recent seasons include the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Berner Symphonieorchester, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Belgique, Fort Worth Symphony, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Andras Schiff, Marin Alsop, Constantinos Carydis, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Dalia Stasevska, Robert Spano, Maxime Pascal, Markus Stenz and Elim Chan.

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 recital 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. This season includes recitals at Bath Mozartfest, Edesche Concertzaal, Wigmore Hall, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

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.