Robert Uchida

Canadian violinist Robert Uchida has been hailed for his “ravishing sound, eloquence and hypnotic intensity” (Strings Magazine). He enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and educator. His performances across North America and Europe have been received with great critical acclaim.

Robert has been a featured soloist with several of Canada’s orchestras including the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestre de la Francophonie, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Scotia Festival Winds, Symphony New Brunswick and Symphony Nova Scotia. Last season, among his numerous solo appearances with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Robert had the honour of performing Bottessini’s Grand Duo Concertante with legendary bassist Edgar Meyer under the direction of William Eddins.

Appointed Concertmaster of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 2013, Robert previously served as Concertmaster of Symphony Nova Scotia and Associate Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. A frequent Guest Concertmaster, Robert has had the pleasure of working with orchestras including the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

He has worked as concertmaster with many of the world’s top conductors, including Valery Gergiev, Kurt Masur, Edo de Waart, and Pinchas Zukerman.

His recital and chamber music performances have included venues such as Lincoln Center (New York), Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa) and the Glenn Gould Studio (Toronto). He has been a guest violinist at numerous Canadian festivals and chamber music series.

An advocate of new music, Robert has worked with many composers including John Corigliano and Richard Danielpour, and has given premieres of works by Tim Brady, John Frantzen, Christos Hatzis, Augusta Read-Thomas, Scott Wollschleger, and recorded the premiere of the Sonata for Solo Violin by Andrew Violette for Innova Records.

In the baroque genre, Robert has worked with many historical performance specialists including Frans Brüggen, Kenneth Cooper, Jeanne Lamon and Alexander Weimann. He has directed numerous critically acclaimed performances on Symphony Nova Scotia's Baroque series. This season, Robert looks forward to being a guest artist with the Early Music Alberta Festival and performing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti with Elizabeth Wallfisch.

Robert was Artistic Director of the Acadia Summer Strings Festival from 2010 - 2014 and has held teaching positions at Acadia University, the Manhattan School of Music and the National Arts Centre of Canada’s Young Artist Program. For the past seven years, he has been a mentor for the National Academy Orchestra in Hamilton.

Robert performs on a Lorenzo Ventapane violin made in Naples, Italy in 1820, bows by Peccatte and Sartory and a baroque bow by Max Kasper. Robert plays Vision Solo Titanium violin strings by Thomastik-Infeld Vienna. He currently lives in Edmonton with his wife Laura and their two children.

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Robert Uchida