In 2008/09 German-Japanese violinist Mirijam Contzen plays both Bartok-concertos with the Staatskapelle Weimar and the Brno Philharmonic, Mendelssohn’s op. 64 in Nuernberg and Jena and the Sibelius-Violin concerto with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn. Highlights of the last season were with the Kölner Kammerorchester in the Philharmonies of Munich and Cologne as well as the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées Paris, her recital debut at the Musikhalle Hamburg, Berg’s Violin concerto with the Orchestra Arturo Toscanini Parma, Schoenberg’s Violin concerto at the Gewandhaus Leipzig and her concerts with Pierre-Laurent at the Lucerne Festival and in New York. her next CD with OehmsClassics.

 

In previous seasons, Mirijam Contzen performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Münchner Rundfunk-orchester, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Duisburger Philharmoniker and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Mirijam Contzen worked with several renowned orchestras, such as Gewand-hausorchester Leipzig, Rundfunksinfonieorchester Berlin, RSO Frankfurt, Bamberger Symphoniker, Münchner Kammerorchester, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Helsinki Philharmonic, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Orchestre National de Belgique and with important conductors like Gerd Albrecht, Christian Arming, Gabriel Feltz, Raphael Frühbeck de Burgos, Christopher Hogwood, Eliahu Inbal, Libor Pesek, Gianandrea Noseda, Christoph Poppen, Dennis Russell Davies, Leif Segerstam and Mario Venzago. Claudio Abbado invited the artist to the „Berliner Begegnungen“.

 

She appeared on stage of important venues such as the Philharmonies of Berlin, Munich and Cologne, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Musikhalle Hamburg, Musikverein Wien, Barbican Hall London, Wigmore Hall London, Rudolfinum Prague, Salle Gaveau Paris, Victoria Hall Genève, Tonhalle Zürich, Megaron Athens and Suntory Hall Tokyo. In 2004 she gave her debut at the Salzburger Festspiele and is permanent guest at prestigious festivals e.g. Rheingau Musik Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, MDR Musiksommer, Athens Festival and the Taipei Music Festival. In 2005 Mirijam Contzen founded her own Chamber Music Festival at Schloss Cappenberg.

 

Her first violin was given to her at the age of two and she first had lessons when she was 3 years old. At the age of five she performed in public for the first time. The legendary violinist and teacher Tibor Varga, whose student Mirijam was from the age of seven, had major influence on her artistic development. Winning the first prize at the International Violin Competition Tibor Varga in 1993 opened the doors to the music world for the 16-year-old artist.

 

Mirijam Contzen, who plays on a violin Carlo Bergonzi from 1733, recorded several CDs for ARTE NOVA/BMG among them a Recital named “Favourite Violin Pieces”, for which she was awarded with the ECHO-Klassikpreis 2001. In 2004 her Album "Solo" was released, with works by Bach, Stravinsky, Ysaye and Varga. From 2007 onwards her recording activities will be continued with OehmsClassics.

 

2008/09