Joshua Bell
Biography
Raised in Indiana, Joshua received his first violin at age four after his parents noticed him plucking tunes with rubber bands he had stretched around the handles of his dresser drawers.
Under the tuition of renowned violinist and pedagogue Josef Gingold, Joshua went on to perform with nearly every leading symphony orchestra and conductor.
At the age of 18, Joshua signed his first recording contract with London/Decca for whom he went on to record much of the classical violin repertoire.
Music
Searching to expand his musical horizons, he joined Sony Classical in 1996, a relationship that has yielded a diverse collection of albums. He has recorded 26 albums and earned the rare title of classical music superstar.
From 2002-03 Joshua appeared at the Aspen, Verbier, Tanglewood, Saratoga and Blossom festivals, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan and the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, as well as concerts with the Philharmonia Orchestra in Rome. His most recent releases are the Mendelssohn & Beethoven violin concertos with Camerata Salzburg conducted by Sir Roger Norrington and the 'Iris' motion picture soundtrack, composed by James Horner.
In 2002, his Grammy-winning recording of West Side Story Suite, based on Leonard Bernstein's works, was spotlighted by a performance on the 44th Annual Grammy Awards telecast. The same music was featured on the 2001 PBS Great Performances special.
Joshua Bell on Classic FM
Listen to Joshua Bell talking to Classic FM in August 2008.
Play
Discography
2007 - The Red Violin Concerto
The Essential Joshua Bell
2006 - Voice of the Violin
3-Pak (Gershwin Fantasy/West Side Story Suite/The Red Violin)
2005 - Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Op. 35; Melodie; Danse russe from Swan Lake, Op. 20 (Act III)
Ladies in Lavender (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
2003 - Romance of the Violin
2002 - Meyer: Double Bass Concerto; Double Concerto; Bottesini: Double Bass Concerto No. 2; Grand Duo Beethoven and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos
IRIS - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
2001 - Heartland: An Appalachian Anthology
Bernstein: West Side Story Suite
2000 - Sibelius/Goldmark: Violin Concertos
Maw: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
1999 - Short Trip Home
Listen to the Storyteller: A Trio of Musical Tales from Around the World
The Red Violin - Music from the Motion Picture
1998 - Gershwin Fantasy
