Ida Bieler

Described by Fanfare Magazine as “a specialist in everything, from Bach to new-music premieres…” violinist Ida Bieler is renowned as a musician of extraordinary scope. A winner of prestigious competitions on three continents, she has enjoyed an exceptional solo, collaborative and recording career worldwide, and is one of the most sought-after teachers of her generation.

Bieler has performed the canon of major violin concertos with over forty orchestras on four continents, including the premiere of Penderecki’s second violin concerto under the direction of the composer. Her groundbreaking achievement as the first American woman appointed concertmaster of a major European orchestra, the “Gürzenich Orchestra” of Cologne, led to a major ensemble career in Germany’s legendary Melos String Quartet and the acclaimed Xyrion Piano Trio. Over the course of a celebrated performing career spanning more than thirty years she has also produced an impressive catalogue of solo and chamber recordings with such labels as Naxos, MDG, Harmonia Mundi Musique, Coviello and Genuin. Awards and prizes have included the Cannes “Classical” award, the Echo “Klassik,” Fono Forum’s “Stern des Monats” and Strad’s “Chamber Music Selection.”

Ida Bieler has performed and been a frequent guest artist in major international festivals, including the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Music Academy of the West and the Ravinia and Marlboro festivals. One of today’s preeminent pedagogues, Bieler has held full professorships in Germany, England, Austria, and the U.S., and leads annual masterclasses worldwide. Bieler’s outstanding students are international prize laureates, thriving chamber musicians, and winners of positions in major orchestras. Since 2013 she has been Artist-Teacher of Violin at UNCSA and is a new faculty member of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Music and Performing Arts.

Credentials

• Full Professor for Violin and Chamber Music, Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf
• Guest Professor for Violin at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Graz, Austria
• Visiting Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Violin and Chamber Music, London, England
• Full Professor for Violin, Director of Violin Pedagogic Department, Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany
• First woman to hold Concertmaster position in a major European Orchestra, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln (Symphony and Opera Orchestra of Cologne)

Career Highlights

• Melos Quartet member, 1993-2005
• Ensemble Villa Musica member, 1995-2003
• Xyrion Piano Trio member, 2001-2015
• Solo performance worldwide, in recital and with major international orchestras, including premiere performances and recordings

Awards, Recognitions and Honors

• Cannes Classical award and Echo Klassik prize for Hindemith recording
• The Strad “Chamber Music Selection” for Janacek/Brahms recording
• Fono Forum “Stern des Monats” for Spohr recording
• Gold Medal and Contemporary Music awards and Public Prize, International Violin Competition “Valentino Bucchi,” Rome, 1981
• First Prize: Concert Artists Guild New York, 1972
• Top Prize: International Concours Dr. Luis Sigall, Vina del Mar, Chile, 1981
• Top Prize: International Competition for Chamber Music “Vittorio Gui,” Florence, 1981
• Sono Prize for Beethoven Trios v. 1-2, Belgium, 2008
• Top Artistic/Educational prize of Germany, Ideen für die Bildungsrepublik, 2011, for founding the Vivaldi-Project Düsseldorf — a cooperation between the Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf, the Clara Schumann Music School and the City of Düsseldorf