Michael Guttman
Violin

Described as the "Chagall of violinists" by the Jerusalem Post, praised by Allan Kozinn of the New York Times for "his incredible wealth of tone colors and his sound of melting beauty, " internationally acclaimed Belgian violinist, Michael Guttman, was , at age ten, the youngest student ever to be admitted into the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels. Afterward, encouraged by the late Isaac Stern, Guttman studied at the Juilliard School in New York under Dorothy Delay.

Under Mr. Guttman’s direction, the Arriaga Festival, held in the medieval city of Bruges, was a highlight of Belgium's musical agenda for ten years. In this time, the Festival hosted many world premiere performances, recorded by the Belgian radio and broadcast throughout Europe.

When Mr. Guttman founded the string orchestra Strings of Ebony, he filled a void in Belgium's musical milieu, as did his noted university lunch concerts attended by the enthusiastic audience of students in Brussels.

As Associate Music Director of the Music Festival of the Hamptons along with Lukas Foss, Michael Guttman has brought his exiting programming and playing to New York. In the four years since Mr. Guttman joined the Hamptons Festival, attendance there has tripled. As the Music Director of the Atlantic Chamber Orchestra, in residence at the Music Festival of the Hamptons, Guttman has worked with James Galway, Richard Stolzman, Peter Serkin, Carol Wincenc, David Amram and others.

During 2004 and 2005, answering an invitation by Yuri Bashmet, Mr. Guttman conducted the Elba Festival Orchestra - a unique blend of the Kremerata Baltica, the Moscow Soloists and selected wind players from across Europe.

In the summer of 2005, Michael Guttman came to Toronto to unveil his newest project: The Toronto Summer Chamber Music Festival. With Mr. Guttman's uniquely rich and varied musical background behind it, this exciting new annual festival promises to become a highly anticipated feature of Toronto's chamber music calendar for years to come.