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The Austrian-born violins, Gottfried Schneider, was into a German-Austrian family of musicians. His mother was a noted singer whereas his father conducted the local orchestra in Badgastein, where Schneider was born. At the age of 3 he received his first violin lessons and eight years later (at the age of 11) he already gave his debut as a soloist with an orchestra. Formal musical education began at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Further education and studies were provided by Otto Buechner in Munich, Max Rostal in Bern and Ivan Galamian in New York. Schneider is a prize winner of international competitions as the Carl Flesch Prize of London and the Jeunesses Musicales Prize of Belgrade. In addition to this he was awarded with the Gebrüder-Busch Prize.
After winning the Busch Brothers Prize, Gottfried Schneider was invited by Rudolf Serkin to his Marlboro Festival in the USA.. Considered as “….one of the few German violinists in his generation of international standing.” (Wolfgang Sawallisch) He is regularly touring as a soloist round the world, both as soloist with orchestras and with chamber music groups. He has continued to enjoy a career of great distinction.
Beside this Gottfried Schneider is often invited as member of the Jury for International Competitions in Germany and abroad. Schneider succeeded Sandor Vegh as a Professor for Violin and Chamber music at the Music Academy in Düsseldorf. Since 1991 he is Professor at the Music Academy for Music and Theatre in Munich.
Gottfried Schneider took part in numerous TV and CD productions. He has done much to bring to light, in his recordings, unjustly forgotten works and the compositions of contemporary composers. Among his repertoire of about 60 solo concerts are also violin concerts of Dohnanyi, Götz, Adolf Busch, Kurt Weill and first performances of contemporary works by known composers of the 20th century, as B.A. Zimmermann, Lutoslawski. Ligeti and W. Rihm.
Gottfried Schneider plays a 1729 Stradivari violin. |
