Madeleine Mitchell, solo classical violinist

Madeleine Mitchell, described by The Times as ‘one of the UK’s liveliest musical forces‘  has performed as solo violinist and chamber musician in 50 countries in a wide repertoire, frequently broadcast for radio and tv, in major festivals including the BBC Proms. Her recent engagements have included Elgar violin concerto in Russia, recitals in the USA, Singapore, Vienna, Moscow, London’s Wigmore and Barbican Halls, China, India and Italy. Her performance of the violin concerto written for her by Guto Puw, recorded live with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, is included on her recent album, ‘Violin Muse’ of works written for her by Michael Nyman, David Matthews, Sadie Harrison and Geoffrey Poole, together with unrecorded works by Michael Berkeley and Judith Weir, on the Divine Art label, which has received high praise.

Madeleine Mitchell has performed concertos with orchestras including the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Czech and Polish Radio Symphony, Wurttemberg and Munich Chamber, the Royal Philharmonic and other London orchestras, Orchestra of the Swan, Welsh Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra de Bahia Brazil and for the BBC. She toured the US with Brahms Double Concerto and was due to perform Bruch Violin Concerto in Tokyo 2020. She returns to perform with BBC NOW 2021.

In recital Madeleine Mitchell represented Britain in the festivals UKinNY at Lincoln Center, Canberra International Music Festival as Artist-in-Residence and for the Queen’s Jubilee in Rome. She has given recitals at Sydney Opera House, Seoul Center for the Arts and Hong Kong – part of a 3 month world tour supported by the British Council and played at many international festivals. She won the prestigious Fulbright/ITT Fellowship and was invited to be Artistic Director of the US Embassy London concerts. She began her career as violinist/violist in Maxwell Davies’ Fires of London and has had a versatile career including playing on film/tv sessions.

Mitchell’s discography, nominated for both Grammy and BBC Music Awards, includes ‘In Sunlight:Pieces for Madeleine Mitchell’ (NMC) – works written for her by MacMillan, Nyman and other UK composers, ‘FiddleSticks’ (Signum) – Harrison Violin Concerto with Percussion Orchestra, the popular Violin Songs, (Divine Art) – Classic FM CD of the week, the widely recommended Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time with Joanna MacGregor and several albums of early 20th century British music for Naxos including Howard Blake, William Alwyn and Grace Williams Chamber Music – all premiere recordings, Guardian CD of the Week 2019 and no.2 in the Classical Charts on release. Her recording of MacMillan with solo violin and choir (Alpha & Omega for Linn) was BBC Music Magazine CD of the Month and she performed these works for the composer’s 60th birthday.

Madeleine devised the Red Violin festival in Cardiff under Lord Menuhin’s patronage, the first international eclectic celebration of the fiddle across the arts, for which she was shortlisted for the European Woman of Achievement and Creative Briton Awards. She is also Director of the London Chamber Ensemble – performing in London on International Women’s Day 8.3.21, Professor at the Royal College of Music and on the faculty of the Orfeo International Summer Music Festival. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2000.

www.madeleinemitchell.com