Carolin Widmann

Carolin Widmann (born 1976) is a German classical violinist. The sister of composer and clarinetist Jörg Widmann, she is noted by critics as an exceptional violinist focused mainly on contemporary music. She plays a violin made in 1782 by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini.

Born in Munich, Carolin Widman was trained by Igor Ozim in Cologne, Michèle Auclair in Boston and David Takeno in London. As a soloist she has been conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, Sylvain Cambreling, Heinz Holliger, Riccardo Chailly, Sir Simon Rattle, Vladimir Jurowski and Esa-Pekka Salonen. She has collaborated with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Wolfgang Rihm, Salvatore Sciarrino and Rebecca Saunders, who have written several works especially for her. Since October 2006 she has been Professor of Violin at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig. In 2012 she undertook the organisation of the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker (de), Germany's oldest chamber music festival.

At the Salzburg Mozartwoche of 2009, Carolin Widmann performed chamber music by Boulez with her brother and pianist Hidéki Nagano. She attracted attention with her collaboration in gefaltet, a "Choreographic concert" organised by Sasha Waltz und Mark Andre, with which the International Mozarteum Foundation opened their Mozartwoche of 2012. A 2012 recording of Schuberts works for violin and piano with Alexander Lonquich received critical acclaim for opening a new perspective on vulnerable and fragile aspects of Schuberts music. With her brother and pianist Dénes Várjon she played a trio concert at the Rheingau Musik Festival when he was artist in residence in 2014.

• 1998 Prix du President at the "Concours International Yehudi Menuhin," Boulogne-sur-Mer
• 1999 International Violin Competition: "Georg Kulenkampff", Köln
• 2001 International Jeunesses Musicales Contest, Belgrade
• 2004 Belmont-Prise of the Forberg-Schneider-Stiftung for excellence in contemporary music
• 2006 Annual Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (for the debut album "Reflections“)
• 2010 Diapason d’Or (for "Phantasy of Spring"), Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Chamber music category for "Phantasy of Spring")
• 2013 'Artist of the Year' at the International Classical Music Awards
• 2014: Schneider-Schott Music Prize of the City of Mainz

• Schott-Verlag prizegiving, 25 June 2014

• 2006 Carolin Widmann: "Reflections" (Debut album)
• 2008 Carolin Widmann / Dénes Várjon: Schumann – Violin Sonatas
• 2009 Carolin Widmann / Simon Lepper: Phantasy of Spring – Feldman, Zimmermann, Schoenberg
• 2009 Carolin Widmann / Jörg Widmann / Nordic Symphony Orchestra / Anu Tali: Erkki-Sven Tüür, Strata
• 2012 Alexander Lonquich / Carolin Widmann: Franz Schubert – Fantasie C-Dur / Rondo h-moll / Sonate A-Dur
• 2012 Carolin Widmann / SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg / Eivind Gullberg Jensen: Wolfgang Rihm, Coll’Arco
• 2013 Carolin Widmann / Frankfurt RSO-Pomarico: Morton Feldman – Violin and Orchestra (composed 1979)