About Stefan
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. In the U.S., he has performed with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the orchestras of Baltimore, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Nashville, Oregon, Rochester, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Luke’s (NY), and Utah, among many other ensembles.
Jackiw’s 2009-10 season highlights include subscription engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony under Sir Andrew Davis, the Cincinnati Symphony under Arild Remmereit, the Pittsburgh Symphony under Andris Nelsons, the Seattle and Montreal Symphonies under Gerard Schwarz, the Oregon Symphony under Claus Peter Flor, and a U.S. tour with the Russian National Orchestra under Mikhail Pletnev, as well as the release in Asia of his debut recording of the Brahms Sonatas on the Sony Classical label. Abroad, Jackiw performs in 2010 and 2011 with the London Philharmonic on tours of Europe and Asia, appearing in London and Madrid under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and in Seoul under Vassily Sinaisky.
In July 2007, Jackiw made his debut with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Ludovic Morlot in the “Concerts in the Parks” series. The next month, he appeared with the Boston Symphony and Morlot at Tanglewood and was immediately re-engaged for the following summer under Hans Graf. In 2008, Jackiw made his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis and the San Francisco Symphony under James Gaffigan.
In 2000, Jackiw made his European debut in London to great critical acclaim, playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Benjamin Zander. His sensational performance was featured on the front page of London’s Times; The Strad reported, “A 14-year-old violinist took the London music world by storm.” Jackiw has also performed in Europe with 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. Invited by Yuri Temirkanov, Jackiw performed Barber’s Violin Concerto as part of the Winter Arts Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia.
In 2002, Jackiw made his debut with the Baltimore Symphony under Temirkanov, followed by a tour of Japan with the orchestra that included his Tokyo debut at Suntory Hall. Later that season, he made debuts with the Boston and Chicago Symphonies, both conducted by Roberto Abbado. Jackiw’s performance with the Boston Symphony was selected by the Boston Globe as one of the top two solo appearances of the year. In the 2004-05 season, Jackiw made his debut with the Seattle Symphony, conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Both the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer chose this performance as the best debut of the year.
Jackiw is also an active recitalist and chamber musician. He has performed in numerous important festivals and concert series, including the Ravinia Festival, Caramoor International Music Festival, Celebrity Series of Boston, New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival and Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Louvre Recital Series in Paris. He is a regular participant at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and recently appeared at 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. Jackiw is also a founding member of the Tessera Quartet, an emerging New York-based ensemble formed under the guidance of the Juilliard String Quartet. The Tessera Quartet has collaborated with such artists as Claude Frank and Lowell Liebermann, and is recording Liebermann’s complete quartets for Koch Records.
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. Jackiw holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University, as well as an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory. In 2002, he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. He makes his home in New York City.
