Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, born in Copenhagen in 1975 to Polish-Jewish parents, is a Danish violinist and conductor of the front rank. He announced himself by winning the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1997, following earlier successes at the Carl Nielsen and Sibelius competitions, and went on to a major international career as a soloist, admired for the richness, power and aristocratic breadth of his tone. In recent years he has built an equally significant career on the podium, serving as music director of the Orchestre National de Lyon and as principal guest conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, a double life as soloist and conductor that gives his music-making an unusually complete musical perspective. He plays a great Guarneri ‘del Gesù’ violin once owned by Fritz Kreisler.