Joshua Bell

Joshua Bell (b. Bloomington, December 9, 1967 - ) – Violinist. After starting violin lessons at age five, he moved on to more advanced study with various masters in Bloomington including Josef Gingold. At age fourteen, Bell played as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and made his debut at Carnegie Hall with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra a few years later in 1985. Following his prodigious youth, Bell became a world-renowned violinist. In addition to numerous Grammy nominations, he won a Grammy in 1993 for Best Instrumental Solo Performance with an Orchestra for his performance of Nicholas Maw’s Concerto for Violin. His discography is extremely extensive and includes seven CDs that have reached #1 on the Billboard Classical chart. A resident of Manhattan, Bell maintains a busy concert schedule and plays on a violin worth over two million dollars. Since 2011, he has been the Music Director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.