Frank Peter Zimmerman

Frank Peter Zimmermann is widely regarded as one of the foremost violinists of his generation. Praised for his selfless musicality, brilliance, and keen intelligence, he has been performing with major orchestras around the world for more than three decades, collaborating with renowned conductors. His concert engagements regularly take him to prominent venues and international music festivals in Europe, the United States, Asia, South America, and Australia.

Highlights during the 2024–25 season include appearances with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Krill Petrenko, Cleveland Orchestra and Franz Welser-Möst, Boston Symphony Orchestra and Dima Slobodeniouk, Staatskapelle Dresden and Daniele Gatti, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester and Andris Poga, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Alan Gilbert, Orchestre de Paris and Dima Slobodeniouk, Orchestre National de Lyon and David Afkham, and Filarmonica della Scala and Daniele Gatti, as well as a tour in China. Alongside pianist Dmytro Choni, Zimmerman will give recitals in various cities in Europe.

Over the years, Zimmermann has built up an impressive discography for BIS Records, Warner Classics, Sony Classical, hänssler CLASSIC, Ondine, Decca, Teldec Classics and ECM Records. He has recorded virtually all major concerto repertoire, ranging from Bach to Ligeti, as well as recital repertoire. Many of these highly acclaimed recordings have received prestigious awards and prizes worldwide. Recent releases include the Stravinsky violin concerto, coupled with Martinů’s Suite concertante and Bartók’s Rhapsodies nos. 1 and 2 with the Bamberger Symphoniker and Jakub Hrůša (BIS), the complete sonatas and partitas by J.S. Bach (BIS) and the complete sonatas for piano and violin by Beethoven with Martin Helmchen (BIS).

Zimmermann has received numerous prizes and honors, including the 1990 Premio dell'Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena; the 1994 Rheinischer Kulturpreis; the 2002 Musikpreis of the city of Duisburg; Germany's 2008 Federal Cross of Merit—1st Class; and Hanau's 2010 Paul Hindemith Prize.

In 2010, Zimmermann founded the Trio Zimmermann with violist Antoine Tamestit and cellist Christian Poltéra. The trio has performed in major music centers and festivals across Europe for over a decade. With BIS Records, they've released award-winning recordings of string trio works by J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg, and Hindemith.

Zimmermann has premiered violin concertos by Magnus Lindberg, Matthias Pintscher (en sourdine), Brett Dean (The Lost Art of Letter Writing), and Augusta Read Thomas (Juggler in Paradise).

Born in 1965 in Duisburg, Germany, Zimmermann started playing the violin at age 5 and gave his first concert with an orchestra at age 10. He studied with Valery Gradov, Saschko Gawriloff, and Herman Krebbers.

Zimmermann plays the 1711 Antonio Stradivari violin “Lady Inchiquin,” kindly provided by the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf.