Michael Barenboim

© Marcus Hoehn

Michael Barenboim

"In the moment you create a beautiful sound, every effort is worthwhile."

This quote by Michael Barenboim (*1985) is a reflection of his artistic journey so far. A soloist and chamber musician on violin and viola, ensemble founder, concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and professor at the Barenboim-Said Akademie: versatility and creativity are at the heart of Barenboim’s work. Michael Barenboim (*1985) is a soloist and chamber musician on violin and viola, ensemble founder, concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and professor at the Barenboim-Said Akademie: versatility and creativity are at the core of his work.

Since his breakthrough as a soloist with Schönberg's Violin Concerto conducted by Pierre Boulez in 2011, Michael Barenboim has firmly established himself in the international concert scene, performing with outstanding colleagues. He has appeared as a soloist with renowned orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Filarmonica della Scala, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Orchestre de Paris, and the Spanish National Orchestra.

Solo recitals regularly take Michael Barenboim to the world’s most renowned concert halls and prestigious concert series. He has performed at venues such as the Wigmore Hall in London, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Sydney Opera House, the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, and the Lucerne Festival. With selected works by Pierre Boulez, he has performed at the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, the Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Barbican Centre in London, the Opéra national de Paris, and the Salzburg Festival.

In the 2024/25 season, Michael Barenboim will perform as a soloist with the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Domingo Hindoyan, the Frankfurt Museums Orchestra conducted by Thomas Guggeis, the Jena Philharmonic conducted by Simon Gaudenz, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn conducted by Risto Joost, the Orquesta Fundación Barenboim-Said conducted by Oksana Lyniv, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra conducted by Wilson Hermanto, and the Armenian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sergey Smbatyan. He will also return to the Verbier Festival, including a performance as a soloist with the viola for Strauss' Don Quixote, conducted by Lahav Shani, and with cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Chamber music has been a significant part of Michael Barenboim’s concert activity since the founding of his West-Eastern Divan Ensemble in early 2020. The ensemble, formed with selected members of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, has already embarked on highly successful tours across Asia, North America, and Europe under his leadership. Through a newly founded ensemble of Palestinian musicians, Michael Barenboim is also contributing to raising the visibility of Palestinian artists. Nasmé (ﻤﺔﺴ) means "breeze" and highlights their creativity and talent.

Michael Barenboim is deeply committed to contemporary music. The interpretation of works from the 20th and 21st centuries plays a major role in his work, both as a soloist with orchestra (Widmann, Dutilleux, Ligeti) and in chamber music. He has already premiered numerous new compositions, including works by Jörg Widmann, Kareem Roustom, Matthias Pintscher, and others.

Michael Barenboim keeps his musical spirit alive through music from different eras. His CD recordings reflect this constant drive for renewal. On his albums for Accentus, he has explored works by Bach, Bartók, Boulez, Tartini, Berio, Paganini, and Sciarrino. Between 2018 and 2020, he also released Mozart’s piano quartets and trios, as well as the complete Beethoven piano trios, together with Kian Soltani and Daniel Barenboim, on Deutsche Grammophon.

In September 2023, Michael Barenboim released a recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra London conducted by Alessandro Crudele, available on Linn Records. This was followed by Mendelssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte in an arrangement by Ferdinand David, with Natalia Pegarkova-Barenboim at the piano, released in spring 2024 under the same label.

For Michael Barenboim, teaching is not only about conveying perfect technique on the instrument; it is also about the holistic education of his students at the Barenboim-Said Akademie. He is a professor of violin and ensemble playing at the academy and served as dean from 2020 to 2024.

2024/2025