Violinist Stefan Jackiw is recognized as one of his generation’s most significant artists, captivating audiences with playing that combines poetry and purity with an impeccable technique. Hailed for playing of “uncommon musical substance” that is “striking for its intelligence and sensitivity” (Boston Globe), Jackiw has appeared as soloist with the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco symphony orchestras, among others, and he has collaborated with such renowned conductors as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Andris Nelsons, Charles Dutoit, David Robertson, Ludovic Morlot, Hannu Lintu, Marin Alsop, Sir Andrew Davis, Yuri Temirkanov, and Mario Venzago. His solo performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the YouTube Symphony Orchestra at Australia’s Sydney Opera House in March was seen live on YouTube by more than 30 million people worldwide.

Highlights of Jackiw’s 2014/15 season include a tour of Australia playing Mendelssohn with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and appearances with the Detroit Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, Philharmonische Orchester Heidelberg, Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia de la Coruna, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, and Tampere Philharmonic. He also returned to the Aspen Festival, performing Lutoslawski’s Partita alongside Mozart’s Violin Concerto no. 5. In March 2014, he gave the world premiere of American composer David Fulmer’s Violin Concerto No 2 “Jubilant Arcs,” written for him and commissioned by the Heidelberg Festival with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie under Matthias Pintscher.

Last season, Jackiw made his Carnegie Hall recital debut performing Stravinsky, Brahms, Strauss, and the world premiere of a new work for piano and violin by David Fulmer. Other season highlights included performances of Mozart’s Violin Concerto no. 5 with the St. Louis Symphony under Nicholas McGegan, and with the Rotterdam Philharmonic under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Jackiw’s return engagements included performances with the Indianapolis Symphony under Krzysztof Urbanski, the Pittsburgh Symphony under Juraj Valcuha, and the Kansas City Symphony under Michael Stern. His appearances in Europe included performances with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker. In recital, he appeared on tour throughout the U.S., including the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and Spivey Hall in Atlanta.

In recent seasons, Jackiw debuted with the Atlanta Symphony under Nicholas McGegan, the Royal Philharmonic under Charles Dutoit, and the Netherlands Philharmonic under Louie Langree. He has also enjoyed return engagements with the Chicago Symphony and Toronto Symphony.

Jackiw made his European debut age 14 to great critical acclaim, playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra. His sensational performance was featured on the front page of London’s Times, and The Strad reported, “A 14-year-old violinist took the London music world by storm.” Jackiw has also performed abroad with the London Philharmonic, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, l’Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Ulster Orchestra of Ireland, the Seoul Philharmonic, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. 

Jackiw is also an active recitalist and chamber musician. He has performed in numerous important festivals and concert series, including the Aspen Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, and Caramoor International Music Festival, the Celebrity Series of Boston, New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Washington Performing Arts Society and the Louvre Recital Series in Paris. As a chamber musician, Jackiw has collaborated with such artists as Jeremy Denk, Steven Isserlis, Yo-Yo Ma, and Gil Shaham. He is a regular participant at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, and the Bravo! Vail Valley Music and Bard Music Festivals. At the opening night of Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in New York, Jackiw was the only young artist invited to perform, playing alongside such artists as Emanuel Ax, Renée Fleming, Evgeny Kissin, and James Levine.

On disc, Jackiw is garnering acclaim for his debut album of the Brahms Violin Sonatas with pianist Max Levinson (Sony). Fanfare magazine proclaimed, “Jackiw is fantastic. …This is now the recording of Brahms’s violin sonatas to have.”

Born in 1985 to physicist parents of Korean and German descent, Stefan Jackiw began playing the violin at the age of four. His teachers have included Zinaida Gilels, Michèle Auclair, and Donald Weilerstein. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, as well as an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory, and is the recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. He lives in New York City.