David Garrett

David Garrett

David Garrett, born David Bongartz on September 4, 1980, in Aachen, Germany, is a renowned classical violinist and recording artist. His musical journey began at the age of four when his father purchased a violin for his older brother. Young David's fascination with the instrument led him to learn quickly, and within a year, he secured first prize in a competition. By age seven, he was performing publicly weekly and began studying violin at the Lubeck Conservatoire.

Early Career and International Recognition

Garrett's talent caught the attention of distinguished Polish violinist Ida Haendel, with whom he began working at age 12. This collaboration involved frequent trips to London and other European cities. By 13, he had recorded two CDs, appeared on German and Dutch television, and performed at the Villa Hammerschmidt, the official residence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, by special invitation. During this period, he was also offered the use of the renowned Stradivarius "San Lorenzo," an instrument from the master's "golden period."

At 14, Garrett became the youngest soloist ever to sign an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. His career continued to ascend when, at 17, he performed with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta in Delhi and Bombay, marking India's 50th anniversary of independence. Further critical acclaim followed at 19 with a performance alongside the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, conducted by Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, leading to an invitation to perform at Expo 2000 in Hannover.

Further Studies and Juilliard

Garrett pursued further education at the Royal College of Music in London and, at 21, was invited to perform at the prestigious BBC Proms. He graduated from the Juilliard School in 2004. While studying at Juilliard in New York City, where he was among Itzhak Perlman's first students, Garrett also worked as a model, leading some fashion writers to dub him "the David Beckham of the classical scene."

Instrument Incident

In December 2007, following a performance at London's Barbican Hall, Garrett suffered a fall that damaged his violin. Initially reported as a Stradivarius, the instrument was later identified as a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini. Garrett had acquired the violin four years prior for approximately $1 million, and the estimated repair cost was $120,000.