Jennifer Pike, violin

‘A tremendous juxtaposition of artistic flair and humility’ – The Herald

‘Simply spectacular’ – The Independent

Renowned as a violinist with “dazzling interpretative flair and exemplary technique” (Classic FM), Jennifer has taken the musical world by storm with her unique artistry and compelling insight into music from the Baroque to the present day. Her prodigious talent first gained international attention in 2002, when, aged 12, she became the youngest-ever winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the youngest major prizewinner in the Menuhin International Violin Competition. Aged just 15 she made acclaimed debuts at the BBC Proms and Wigmore Hall, and soon after she became a BBC New Generation Artist, winner of the first international London Music Masters Award and the only classical artist ever to win the South Bank Show/Times Breakthrough Award. Passionate about helping young people from all backgrounds enhance their lives through music, she was recently invited to become an Ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and Patron of the Lord Mayor of London’s City Music Foundation.

In demand as soloist with major orchestras worldwide and appearing frequently on radio and television, recent highlights include concertos with the all the BBC symphony orchestras, the Philharmonia, Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony, Rheinische Philharmonie, Singapore Symphony, Malmö Symphony, Adelaide Symphony and Nagoya Philharmonic orchestras. An acclaimed interpreter of new music, she performed a concerto especially written for her by Haflidi Hallgrimsson with the Iceland Symphony and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, the première hailed by The Herald as a “luminous, gleaming and massively-assured performance from violinist Jennifer Pike…not long ago a wunderkind, now a seasoned artist whose maturity was reflected at every level.”

A sought-after recitalist, she has recently performed at the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival in Germany, St.Regis Hotel New York, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Musashino Foundation in Japan and London’s Wigmore Hall. Her latest CD releases on Chandos include the Sibelius Concerto with the Bergen Philharmonic and Sir Andrew Davis, praised as a “gripping interpretation” by the Daily Telegraph and “violin genius” by the Mail on Sunday. Jennifer recorded the première of Andrew Schultz’s Concerto with the Tasmanian Symphony for ABC Classics, and was nominated for a Classical Music Award for the Best Performance of an Australian Composition.

Aged 16 Jennifer was awarded an unprecedented postgraduate scholarship at the GSMD, subsequently graduating with First Class Honours from Oxford University, where she is currently Artist-in-Residence. She plays a 1708 Matteo Goffriller violin made available by the Stradivari Trust.