Thomas Zehetmair

“Virtuosic technique combined with a musical spirit that questions everything. Zehetmair finds answers where other musicians don’t even see the question.”

Thomas Zehetmair knows how to combine his multifaceted musical predilection like nobody else. He enjoys an outstanding reputation worldwide not only as a violinist, but also as a conductor and chamber musician.

He maintains close musical collaboration with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Poznań Philharmonic as well as the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, with the Seattle Symphony, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra as well as the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Since the 2019/2020 season, Zehetmair is principal conductor of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and assumed the same role with the Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes in the 2020/2021 season. Zehetmair has also been principal conductor of the Irish Chamber Orchestra since May 2022.

From 2012 to 2015 he held this position with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and from 2016 to 2021 with the Musikkollegium Winterthur. From 2002 to 2014, Thomas Zehetmair led the Royal Northern Sinfonia and developed it into one of England’s leading orchestras. As Conductor Laureate, he will remain associated with the orchestra in the future. The extremely successful collaboration is documented by a number of recordings. Just released in 2023 is Casken’s double concerto That Subtle Knot, recorded with Ruth Killius, featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Bartok’s Viola Concerto.

Thomas Zehetmair has recorded most of the violin repertoire and many of his recordings have received multiple awards. These recordings include Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Violin Concerto with the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Heinz Holliger (Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2009), the 24 Paganini Caprices (Best List Prize of the German Record Critics 2009, Midem Classic Award 2010), a recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Hallé Orchestra Manchester under Sir Mark Elder (Gramophone Award 2010), as well as Mozart’s violin concertos with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century under Frans Brüggen, which is referred to as a reference recording. More recent recordings include the four Brahms symphonies and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 with the Musikkollegium Winterthur as well as J. S. Bach’s six solo sonatas and partitas.

Furthermore, the recording of Manto and Madrigals with his duo partner Ruth Killius was released in 2011 by ECM, presenting contemporary works for violin and viola.

He is also a founding member of the Zehetmair Quartet, with which he was awarded the Paul Hindemith Prize by the city of Hanau in 2014 for its outstanding musical achievements.

In 2023, he will premiere his own composition for string trio Passacaglia, Burleske and Meditation in Switzerland.

For his diverse artistic activities, Thomas Zehetmair has received the certificate of honor of the Prize of the German Record Critics and the Karl Böhm Interpretation Prize of the State of Styria, among many other accolades. He also holds honorary doctorates from the Liszt School of Music in Weimar and Newcastle University.

Season 2023/2024 | Photo: Wolfgang Schmidt | Quote: BBC Radio 3
Amendments or edits need the consent of Künstlersekretariat Astrid Schoerke GmbH

Performance of Thomas Zehetmair’s composition

1 December 2023

This Sunday, Thomas Zehetmair will be playing in a trio with Ruth Killius and Daniel Haefliger at the Martinu Festival in Basel. In addition to works by Martinu […] more ...

New CD with Thomas Zehetmair and the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna

10 November 2023

Today sees the release of a CD in which under the support of the Orpheum Foundation for Young Artists, among other collaborations Thomas Zehetmair directed the ORF Vienna […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra

2 November 2023

Thomas Zehetmair begins rehearsals with the Cologne Chamber Orchestra today. Together they are preparing a programme of Mendelssohn’s Overture to the Märchen von der schönen Melusine, Hartmann’s Concerto […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair and the SKO release their first album on their own label

11 September 2023

Congratulations to Stuttgarter Kammerorchester on the release of their first album on their own label SKO records. You can listen to Beethoven / Brahms / Schoenberg, played by […] more ...

From Hamburg through the Alps with the Zehetmair Quartet

4 May 2023

The Zehetmair Quartet will spend a week touring from Hamburg, along Munich and South Tirol to Switzerland. At each stop the etablished string quartet will present a colorful […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and the SKO

23 March 2023

Tomorrow soloist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and their principal conductor Thomas Zehetmair are starting a tour. Their program will be Mozart only: Symphony No. 1, K […] more ...

New Album with Ruth Killius and Thomas Zehetmair

17 February 2023

Ruth Killius and Thomas Zehetmair have recorded a new CD with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. The album is being released by ECM and contains Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, Bartók’s […] more ...

Epiphany Concert with Thomas Zehetmair

5 January 2023

Thomas Zehetmair will conduct the traditional concert on January 6th, the day of Epiphany, with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. Together they will present a diverse program, beginning with […] more ...

Ruth Killius and Thomas Zehetmair in Gateshead

24 November 2022

Ruth Killius will play a concert in Gateshead, United Kingdom this Friday under the baton of Thomas Zehetmair. Together with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, they will present William […] more ...

Ruth Killius and Thomas Zehetmair in Auvergne

4 October 2022

This week, Ruth Killius and Thomas Zehetmair are in French Auvergne for two concerts. With the Orchestre National d’Auvergne, of which Thomas Zehetmair is principal conductor, Britten’s Double […] more ...

Zehetmair Quartett on European Tour

27 April 2022

The Zehetmair Quartett is embarking on a tour throughout Germany, Austria, Belgium and Finland. After concerts in Homburg and Blaibach the four musicians will travel to Innsbruck before […] more ...

Epiphany concert with SKO

5 January 2022

On the occasion of Epiphany, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra will perform a concert with two German premieres on January 06, conducted by Thomas Zehetmair. On that evening he […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair returns to Künstlersekretariat Schoerke

22 July 2021

We are delighted that Thomas Zehetmair will rejoin Künstlersekretariat Schoerke! It is an honor to again represent this distinguished artist in German speaking territories. Thomas Zehetmair is known […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius playing in São Paulo

7 May 2019

Even with two programs Thomas Zehetmair will be performing at the Sala São Paulo in the upcoming weeks. After leading the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius as guests in Bogotá

21 February 2019

Thomas Zehetmair is from February 22nd to marc 2nd guest in the capital of Colombia and will present together with Ruth Killius and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair and the Musikkollegium Winterthur with guest concerts in germany

10 December 2018

Thomas Zehetmair and the Musikkollegium Winterthur will be guests in Leverkusen and Furth on December 12th and 13th with a program around Raff, Saint-Saëns and Brahms. more ...

Thomas Zehetmair conducts in Porto, Riga and Moscow

1 October 2018

Thoughtful, sensitive and expressive – this is how Thomas Zehetmair’s interpretations can be described. He displays this on September 28th and 30th in Porto with a classical program […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair: Haydn’s Creation and Open Air Concert in Winterthur

19 June 2018

At the end of the season, the audience can expect concerts with two great and very different programs from the Musikkollegium Winterthur, under its chief conductor Thomas Zehetmair. […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair appearing this year twice at the Dresden Festival

18 May 2018

Thomas Zehetmair performs this year in two concert evenings at the annual Dresden Music Festival and both times Brahms is on the program. On May 21st, Zehetmair will […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair with concerts in the USA

1 March 2018

From March 1st to 4th, Thomas Zehetmair is in Seattle with the Seattle Symphony performing a play/conduct program with works by Haydn, Pärt and Schubert. As a soloist, […] more ...

Martin Stadtfeld and Thomas Zehetmair at the ‘L’enfant prodige’ Festival in Liège

1 February 2018

Many musical prodigies combine the tragedy of great celebrity at a young age with an early death. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège has dedicated it’s festival ‘L’enfant […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair – Concerts in Korea and Sweden

8 November 2017

This month, Thomas Zehetmair travels to the Far East. On November 12th, he performs with musicians from the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in an extraordinary chamber music program featuring […] more ...

Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra appoints Thomas Zehetmair as new Chief Conductor beginning 2019/2020

16 October 2017

From the 2019/2020 season, Thomas Zehetmair will take over the musical direction of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. He succeeds Matthias Foremny and will enrich the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair kicks off the new season in Winterthur and Tallin

6 September 2017

As expected, Zehetmair has prepared a sensational start to the new 2017/18 concert season. On 6th and 7th September, he will join Emanuel Pahud, a solo flautist from […] more ...

Japan welcomes Thomas Zehetmair

11 May 2017

In mid-May, Thomas Zehetmair will perform in Tokyo’s Toppan Hall. This very special concert hall boasts surpassingly intimate acoustics – so what better program than Bach? Indeed, the […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair to present artistic highlights in April

5 April 2017

As if April wasn’t exciting enough, Thomas Zehetmair is kicking it off with a genuine highlight: On the 5th and 6th April, the principle conductor of the Musikkollegium […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair to take the conductor’s stand for the Stanvanger Symphony Orchestra again on 19 January 2017

6 January 2017

Thomas Zehetmair has enjoyed a regular, musically prolific collaboration with the orchestra – which is well documented on a CD featuring Brahms’ 2nd Symphony set to be released […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius – a variety of concerts in London

12 October 2016

Thomas Zehetmair’s talent for skilfully combining his many aptitudes with one another is without equal. In the coming two weeks, he will do just that in London. There, […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair takes the conductor’s stand in Hamburg

5 October 2016

Prominent musicians will convene this week in Hamburger’s Laeiszhalle. Thomas Zehetmair will conduct the city’s Philharmonisches Staatsorchester to present a rich programme featuring Haydn, Beethoven and Carter. Heinz […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair makes his debuts at the Musikkollegium Winterthur

9 September 2016

Beginning in the 2016/17 season, conductor and violinist Thomas Zehetmair will become headconductor at the Musikkollegium Winterthur. The collaboration will begin with two impressive concerts featuring works by […] more ...

Aldeburgh Music Festival – Thomas Zehetmair – Ruth Killius

27 May 2016

Thomas Zehetmair will be attending this year’s Aldeburgh Music Festival in England where he will perform not one, but three concerts. The festival has been held since 1948 […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair to tour North and South America

10 May 2016

In the coming weeks, Thomas Zehetmair will be visiting the USA where he will once again join the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as artistic partner. He will take […] more ...

New CD from Thomas Zehetmair

18 March 2016

In recent days, the latest CD from Thomas Zehetmair has been released under the ECM label. Listeners have the chance to experience Zehetmair as he assumes both the […] more ...

The Zehetmair Quartett is on tour!

18 January 2016

After winning the 2014 Hindemith Prize awarded by the city of Hanau, the Zehetmair Quartett will also be presenting an exciting programme including one of the composer’s pieces […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair once again performs together with Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchester

3 November 2015

For one week in November, Thomas Zehetmair will be performing with the Budapest Festival Orchester under the baton of Ivan Fischer. In six concerts that will span Europe, […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair appointed chief conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur

3 June 2015

Beginning in the 2016/2017 concert season, conductor and violinist, Thomas Zehetmair will assume the artistic direction of the Musikkollegium Winterthur. Thomas Zehetmair has already made a name for […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair Solo

24 May 2023

“He has floated through the sonatas and partitas with the inner calm of a Zen master, but the Ciaconna moves him. And his interpretation, a traversing between highly […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair with Stuttgarter Kammerorchester

11 April 2023

Thomas Zehetmair | Direction, Violin Stuttgarter Kammerorchester The Beethoven Project Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A Major op. 92 Symphony No. 8 in F Major op. 93 […] more ...

Thomas Zehetmair with Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes

9 February 2023

As principal conductor of the Orchestre National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Thomas Zehetmair and “his” orchestra not only work together locally, but have also toured throughout France and beyond as […] more ...

Season promgram 25/26 with Zehetmair Quartet

13 July 2021

Thomas Zehetmair | Violin Kuba Jakowicz | Violin Ruth Killius | Viola Christian Elliott | Violoncello They gave the impression that they had been living with this music […] more ...

Ruth Killius and Thomas Zehetmair

4 June 2020

Thomas Zehetmair | Violin Ruth Killius | Viola “A particularly brilliant highlight of the special concert was the subsequent joint performance with Ruth Killius. […] The […] more ...

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Thomas Zehetmair – Repertoire Conductor

Thomas Zehetmair – Repertoire Violin

Thomas Zehetmair – Discography Violin

Thomas Zehetmair – Discography Conductor