Anyone, young or old, looking for violin lessons in Seattle should prepare for their lessons by familiarizing themselves with some of the best and most famous violinists. This is especially true for young, budding violinists picking up an instrument for the first time. Not only is listening to violinists inspiring but honing in on what type of music your child enjoys listening to will help give them direction as to what type of music they might want to play. There’s nothing like listening to an incredible artist breathe life into violin lessons in Seattle for a young student. And this list really covers the range of incredible violinists. There’s no chance of getting bored of violin music if you’re rotating through the artists on this list. From classical to eclectic, these incredible and inspiring artists will motivate the young musician in everyone.
1. Antonio Vivaldi
There might not be a more famous composer and violinist than the Italian Antonio Vivaldi. Born in 1678 in Venice, he is regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers. His influence was so widespread that he was even a great influence on Johann Sebastian Bach. He composed for many instruments, but most namely, the violin. He is best known for his series of violin concertos known as the Four Seasons. Vivaldi is an absolute must-listen for any curious violin player. Even your Seattle violin teacher might be drawing inspiration from him! And while there are no recordings of Vivaldi himself, as he died before that was possible, you’ll certainly find works of his played by the other artists on this list.
2. Isaac Stern
Speaking of artists who have famously played Vivaldi, Isaac Stern is an American violinist who died at the age of 81 in 2001. Of Polish descent, he often toured internationally, playing extensively in the then Soviet Union, China, and Israel. He’s been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, six Grammy awards, and has an auditorium named for him at Carnegie Hall. He was so impressive that he made his debut performance with the San Francisco Symphony at the young age of 15. He has famously recorded concertos by Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Vivaldi, so make sure these are all on rotation in your house in between violin lessons in Seattle.
3. Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-American violinist who has performed worldwide and racked up quite the high-profile audience. He’s played for former President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II. He plays a violin that is considered one of the best violins ever made, and it was built in 1714. While he’s primarily been a solo artist, he has performed on numerous occasions with Yo-Yo Ma. He’s also the artist on the famous soundtrack Schindler’s List, which is an award-winning and must-listen soundtrack. It’s so fantastic that it won an Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1993.
4. Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn is a young American violinist with already a number of accolades under her belt. She made her debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the age of 11! She began her recording career in 1996, at the age of 17, and also made a TV appearance on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. In addition to being a soloist, she’s played with orchestras in London, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Singapore. She was also chosen to perform on the 2004 M. Night Shyamalan soundtrack for the movie, The Village.
5. Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey Stirling is truly a violinist of a different age and era. A 35-year old American violinist, she rose to prominence through YouTube. She performs a variety of styles from classical to pop to electronic, but it was her covers of famous songs that catapulted her to fame. Her cover of the song “Radioactive” with the acapella group Pentatonix won a YouTube Music Award in 2013. She already had toured the world before the age of 30 and was named one of Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 In Music in 2015. As of 2019, her YouTube channel exceeded 12 million subscribers and has over 3 billion total views. So far, she’s collaborated musically with writers and producers of John Legend, Pentatonix, The Decemberists, LMFAO, and the Piano Guys.
If your child is interested in violin lessons, contact us today! Our teachers come right to your home for every lesson, plus we offer virtual music lessons, too. Our online music lessons are taught by local music teachers with live lessons tailored to your family!
