Augustin Hadelich

Early life and education

Hadelich was born in Cecina, Italy, to German parents. He began violin at age five with his father, an agriculturalist and amateur cellist. His early training came through irregular lessons and masterclasses with traveling violinists such as Uto Ughi, Christoph Poppen, Igor Ozim, and Norbert Brainin. He developed as a wunderkind violinist, pianist, and composer in Germany. In 1999, a fire on the family farm injured him, and he was airlifted to Germany for treatment. After recovery, he graduated summa cum laude from the Istituto Mascagni in Livorno, Italy, and auditioned successfully for Juilliard. He studied there with Joel Smirnoff from 2004 to 2007, earning a graduate diploma in 2005 and an artist diploma in 2007. He became an American citizen in 2014, playing 'America the Beautiful' at his naturalization ceremony.

Career

After winning first prize at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis in 2006, Hadelich gained notice through short-notice substitutions with major orchestras. In 2008 he substituted for Julian Rachlin at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In 2010 he substituted for Nikolaj Znaider at the Bravo! Vail Festival, making his New York Philharmonic debut.

Internationally, he has played with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. From 2019 to 2023 he was Artist in Association with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg. His repertoire includes standard violin concertos as well as contemporary works by Thomas Adès, Henri Dutilleux, György Ligeti, Brett Dean, Stephen Hartke, David Lang, György Kurtag, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Toru Takemitsu, and Bernd Alois Zimmermann.

Awards and accolades

Augustin Hadelich’s first Grammy win came in February 2016, when he took home Best Classical Instrumental Solo for his recording of Henri Dutilleux’s Violin Concerto with the Seattle Symphony and Ludovic Morlot. The previous October, he became the first recipient of the Warner Music Prize, a $100,000 grant paired with a recording deal on Warner Classics. In 2018, Musical America named him Instrumentalist of the Year, and he earned the same title from Opus Klassik in 2021. His career also includes an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter, awarded in December 2017, and a gold medal from the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, where he swept multiple special prizes. Additional honors include an Avery Fisher Career Grant (2009), a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship (2011), and Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award (2012).

Teaching

In 2021, Augustin Hadelich joined the Yale School of Music faculty, instructing a select group of violinists and leading master classes open to all string players there. His other teaching engagements have included residencies at the Colburn School, Curtis Institute of Music, and Kronberg Academy. He has additionally presented master classes at the Aspen Music Festival and School, the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich.