Hilary Hahn
American violinist and former concertmaster of the New Jersey Youth Symphony.
Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist and three-time Grammy Award winner who performs internationally as a soloist with major orchestras and as a recitalist. She is a strong advocate for contemporary classical music, and numerous composers have created works specifically for her, including concertos by Edgar Meyer and Jennifer Higdon, partitas by Antón García Abril, two serenades for violin and orchestra by Einojuhani Rautavaara, and a violin and piano sonata by Lera Auerbach. Born in Lexington, Virginia, and raised near Baltimore, Maryland, Hahn began playing the violin just before her fourth birthday through the Suzuki Program at Baltimore’s Peabody Institute. She studied with Klara Berkovich until age ten, then entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she spent seven years studying with Jascha Brodsky, a student of Eugène Ysaÿe. Her training included études by Kreutzer, Ševčík, Gaviniès, and Rode, Paganini’s Caprices, and 28 violin concertos. She completed Curtis’s university requirements at 16 but stayed three more years for elective courses, graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1999, during which she also studied violin with Jaime Laredo and chamber music with Felix Galimir and Gary Graffman. Hahn made her major orchestral debut at age 12 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, followed by debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and New York Philharmonic. Her international debut came in 1994 in Hungary, and her German debut in 1995 with the Beethoven Violin Concerto. She debuted at Carnegie Hall in 1996. She has released 16 albums on Deutsche Grammophon and Sony, often pairing newer works with traditional repertoire. Hahn has also pursued cross-genre collaborations, performing with singer-songwriters Josh Ritter and Tom Brosseau, recording with the alternative rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, and releasing an entirely improvised album with pianist Hauschka in 2012. In 2020, she co-founded DeepMusic.ai to work with artists and AI companies. She received the Avery Fisher Prize in 2024.
- field
- Violinist
- nationality
- American
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Hilary Hahn grew up in New Jersey and began Suzuki violin at age four. In high school, she served as concertmaster of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, performing with them at Carnegie Hall in 1993, and also served as concertmaster of the New Jersey Central Regional Orchestra, as well as assistant concertmaster of the MENC All-Eastern Honors Orchestra and the New Jersey All-State Orchestra. She attended Boston University Tanglewood Institute and Eastern Music Festival before pursuing higher education in Texas. She earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Plan II Liberal Arts, graduating cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin in May 1998. At UT Austin, she studied with Vincent Frittelli (a pupil of Ivan Galamian), served as assistant concertmaster of the UT Symphony Orchestra, and participated in masterclasses with Dorothy DeLay.
Reader's Guide
Hilary Hahn's early career was shaped by her leadership in youth orchestras and her training at the University of Texas at Austin. She served as concertmaster of the New Jersey Youth Symphony, performing at Carnegie Hall in 1993, and held assistant concertmaster roles in the MENC All-Eastern Honors Orchestra and New Jersey All-State Orchestra. Her education included study with Vincent Frittelli, a pupil of Ivan Galamian, and masterclasses with Dorothy DeLay. After graduating cum laude in May 1998 with dual degrees in Music and Plan II Liberal Arts, she began her career in the music business in 1998 in New York at PolyGram, later known as Universal Music Group, as an intern for the Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Philips and Sugar Music labels. Through an introduction to co-founder and former director of IMG Artists Charles Hamlen, she shifted into artist management and joined IMG Artists working on the management teams for artists including Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, Evgeny Kissin and Franz Welser-Möst.
Did You Know?
- Hilary Hahn began Suzuki violin at age four in New Jersey.
- She served as concertmaster of the New Jersey Youth Symphony and performed with them at Carnegie Hall in 1993.
- She earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music and Plan II Liberal Arts, graduating cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin in May 1998.
- At UT Austin, she studied with Vincent Frittelli, a pupil of Ivan Galamian, and participated in masterclasses with Dorothy DeLay.
- She began her career in the music business in 1998 as an intern at PolyGram (later Universal Music Group) for the Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Philips and Sugar Music labels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hilary Hahn?
Hilary Hahn is an American violinist born on November 27, 1979, who has built a distinguished career as a solo performer, recitalist, and recording artist. She has appeared with major orchestras around the world and is recognized as one of her generation's most prominent string players.
What is Hilary Hahn most known for?
She is best recognized as a three-time Grammy Award winner and as a passionate advocate for new and contemporary classical music. Beyond performing the standard repertoire, she has commissioned more than thirty original works from living composers.
How many Grammy Awards has Hilary Hahn won?
Hilary Hahn has received three Grammy Awards over the course of her recording career. These honors reflect her work as both a soloist and a recording artist across a range of classical and contemporary pieces.
Why is Hilary Hahn important to contemporary classical music?
Hahn has dedicated a significant portion of her career to commissioning and premiering works by living composers, with over thirty new pieces to her name. This commitment has made her one of the most visible champions of new music in the classical world.
What kinds of performance settings is Hilary Hahn associated with?
Throughout her career she has taken the soloist's stand with leading orchestras across the globe. She is equally at home in the recital hall, where she performs solo and chamber repertoire for intimate audiences.
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