Soloists

Antoine Tamestit

Antoine Tamestit is recognised internationally as one of the great violists - soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. In addition to his peerless technique and profound musicianship, he is known for the depth and beauty of his sound with its rich, deep, burnished quality. His repertoire is broad, ranging from the Baroque to the contemporary, and he has performed and recorded several world premieres.

One of the concertos Tamestit commissioned is the concerto by Jörg Widmann. Since giving the world premiere performance in 2015 with the Orchestre de Paris and Paavo Järvi, Tamestit has given performances of the concerto with the co-commissioners, Swedish Radio Symphony and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, both under Daniel Harding, again with the Orchestre de Paris, with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony, and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Tamestit’s other world premiere performances and recordings include Thierry Escaich’s La Nuit des Chants in 2018, the Concerto for Two Violas by Bruno Mantovani written for Tabea Zimmermann and Tamestit, and Olga Neuwirth’s Remnants of Songs. Works composed for Tamestit also include Neuwirth’s Weariness Heals Wounds and Gérard Tamestit’s Sakura.

Antoine Tamestit records for Harmonia Mundi. His discography includes among others a Brahms CD with Cédric Tiberghien, Bach’s Sonatas for Viola Da Gamba which he recorded with Masato Suzuki and the concerto by Jörg Widmann, with the BRSO and Daniel Harding.

In the 21/22 season, Tamestit is the subject of the London Symphony Orchestra’s Artist Portrait, performing three concerto programmes and four chamber music programmes throughout October. Tamestit is also Artist in Residence with the Dresden Staatskapelle, performing numerous concerts there throughout the season. Other orchestras that Tamestit will be performing with over the season include Vienna Philharmonic, Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. In chamber music, Tamestit will embark on a European tour with pianist Cédric Tiberghien, performing at Wigmore Hall and the De Bijloke Center in Belgium.

Last Season, Antoine performed with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, ORF RadioSymphonieorchester Wien, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, and Orchestre de Paris.

Born in Paris, Antoine Tamestit studied with Jean Sulem, Jesse Levine, and with Tabea Zimmermann. He was the recipient of several coveted prizes including first prize at the ARD International Music Competition, the William Primrose Competition and the Young Concert Artists (YCA) International Auditions, as well as BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists Scheme, Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and the Credit Suisse Young Artist Award in 2008. Antoine Tamestit plays on a viola made by Stradivarius in 1672, loaned by the Habisreutinger Foundation.