violin

Elmar Oliveira

Elmar Oliveira received his first violin lessons at the age of nine from his brother John and was soon sent to the Hartt College of Music to study with Arianna Bronne and Raphael Bronstein. Oliveira won his first violin competition and made his début as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of 14. Two years later, Leonard Bernstein selected him to perform with the New York Philharmonic (at a Young People's Concert). In 1975 he won the prestigious Naumberg Competition. In 1978, he became the first non-Russian violinist to win the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1983 he received the highly-esteemed Avery Fisher Prize.

Oliveira gives concerts regularly around the world from the Far East to America and from Australia to Europe, performing as a soloist with the world's leading orchestras and working with the most renowned conductors of our time. In addition to the standard works of the violin repertoire, Oliveira plays the music of contemporary composers, and has premiered many of their works. His instrument is a Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù of 1729-30 (known as the "Stretton").