January 30, 2004 -

Ottawa, Canada -- Danish-born violinist Nikolaj Znaider, the 1997 winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, makes his National Arts Centre Orchestra debut with Pinchas Zukerman on the podium on Thursday, February 12 and Friday, February 13 at 20:00 in the NAC’s Southam Hall. These Bostonian Bravo Series concerts feature Znaider performing Brahms’s monumental Violin Concerto in D major which ranks alongside Beethoven’s as the greatest ever written.

The programme opens with the added bonus of Zukerman taking up his violin to join Znaider for Prokofiev’s fresh and inventive Sonata for Two Violins in C major, Op. 56, one of the prize compositions for duo-violinists. Tchaikovsky’s glorious Serenade for Strings in C major completes this feast for string lovers.

Since his triumph in the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition, Nikolaj Znaider has established himself as one of the world’s most sought-after virtuoso violinists. His rare ability to combine technical wizardry with poetic lyricism has won the hearts of audiences the world over.

Born to Polish-Israeli parents in Denmark in 1975, Nikolaj Znaider began his formal musical training at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. He performed throughout Scandinavia after winning the First Prize at the 1992 Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition. Seeking broader horizons, he set out for the Juilliard School where he studied with the late Dorothy DeLay for several semesters. Znaider’s success at the Queen Elisabeth Competition was sweetened by accolades from Yehudi Menuhin who heralded Znaider as the direct successor to Ysaye.

Nikolaj Znaider´s burgeoning career in North America has taken him cross-country from New York to Los Angeles.  Since the millennium, he has been a frequent guest with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, National Symphony, New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. No stranger to leading orchestras throughout the rest of the world, Znaider’s recent engagements include orchestral appearances and tours with the Berlin Philharmonic, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Nikolaj Znaider has signed an exclusive contract with RCA Victor Group/RCA Red Seal. His April 2002 release of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no. 2, the Glazunov Violin Concerto and Tchaikovski’s Méditation with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mariss Jansons met with extraordinary critical acclaim. In March 2003 Nikolaj Znaider´s newest CD was released featuring virtuoso and romantic encores. Nikolaj Znaider plays the Antonio Stradivarius "ex-Liebig" 1704 on extended loan to him by The Royal Danish Theater.

Tickets for these Bostonian Bravo Series concerts on February 12 and 13, are on sale now at $27.00, $45.00, $56.00 and $58.00, with box seats at $73.00 (GST and Facility Fee included) at the NAC Box Office (Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 21:00), and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111.  Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.  Half-price tickets for students in all sections of the hall are on sale in person at the NAC Box Office upon presentation of a valid student ID card.

For more information please contact:
Jane Morris, Communications Officer,
National Arts Centre Orchestra
(613) 947-7000, ext. 335
jmorris@nac-cna.ca