Leila Josefowicz’s passionate advocacy of contemporary music for the violin is reflected in her diverse programs and enthusiasm for performing new works. In recognition of her outstanding achievement and excellence in music, she won the 2018 Avery Fisher Prize and in 2008 was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, joining prominent scientists, writers, and musicians who have made unique contributions to contemporary life.
Highlights of Ms. Josefowicz’s most recent engagements include opening the London Symphony Orchestra’s season with Sir Simon Rattle, returning to the San Francisco Symphony with incoming music director Esa-Pekka Salonen to perform his Violin Concerto, and concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra, where she worked with conductors at the highest level, including Susanna Mälkki, Matthias Pintscher, and John Adams. Further engagements include returns to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
A favorite violinist of living composers, Ms. Josefowicz has premiered many concertos, including ones written for her by Colin Matthews, Steven Mackey, and Mr. Salonen. Recent premieres include Mr. Adams’s Scheherazade.2—Dramatic Symphony for Violin and Orchestra in 2015 with the New York Philharmonic and Alan Gilbert and Luca Francesconi’s Duende—The Dark Notes in 2014 with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Ms. Mälkki. Ms. Josefowicz enjoyed a close working relationship with the late Oliver Knussen, performing various concertos, including his Violin Concerto, together more than 30 times.
Alongside pianist John Novacek, with whom she’s enjoyed a close collaboration since 1985, Ms. Josefowicz has given recitals at world-renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall and the Park Avenue Armory in New York City; The Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC; and Wigmore Hall in London, as well as in venues in Reykjavik, Chicago, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara.
Ms. Josefowicz has worked with the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. In the summer of 2019, Ms. Josefowicz took part in a special collaboration between the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Royal Ballet, and Company Wayne McGregor, which featured the music of composer-conductor Thomas Adès.
Ms. Josefowicz has released several recordings, notably for the Deutsche Grammophon, Philips/Universal, and Warner Classics labels, and she was featured on Touch Press’s acclaimed iPad app, The Orchestra. Her latest recording, released in 2019, features the late German composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Violin Concerto, which she performs with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hannu Lintu. Ms. Josefowicz has previously received nominations for Grammy Awards for her recordings of Scheherazade.2 with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Robertson, and Mr. Salonen’s Violin Concerto, performed with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and conducted by the composer.
