Olivier PONS, Violinist
Olivier Pons was born into a family of musicians in 1970 and started to play the violin at the age of four. He studied in the National Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt where he graduated with a first prize at 16 years old.
Then he continued his studies for seven years under the tuition of Russian masters: Nejmi Succari and Miroslaw Russin, a former student of David Oistrakh. In Moscow, he was invited by the Moscow Philharmony concert agency to perform in prestigious halls such as the Glinka-hall, the Shaliapin-house, etc... Olivier Pons had concerts and recitals in the National Auditorium of Madrid, in the Philharmonia hall in Warsaw, Opera house of Krakow and also in Brussels, Helsinki, Paris, Budapest (Liszt Academy), etc...
Performing as soloist with orchestra in Switzerland, France, Germany, Finland, and Israel, the critics write: “A talented violinist, a virtuoso, with taste and understanding of the style, who played this concerto in the style of a great master”…(The title of the article was: “Splendid interpretation of the Paganini 1st concerto”). Another critic stated: “Pons lets his violin live with a somewhat unaffected charm. His virtuoso glow lasted throughout the extensive cadenza which ends the first movement.”
Olivier has been engaged to give concerts and master-classes in the music festivals of 11 countries, his recordings (live or studio) have been broadcasted by the radios or TV of 5 countries. Since ten years he is artistic director of the “Rencontres Musicales de Figeac” music festival, held every summer in southern France.
He was awarded “Prix d’Honneur” in the UFAM (Paris 1988) and was the winner of the international competition “Château de Courcillon”. In 1998 he was chosen to be a member in the Soloist Society of Finland and in 1999 he became a Finnish Radio soloist. His violin is a beautiful “Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume” made in 1827.
Lately in the Press: “…Olivier Pons is surely one of the most brilliant violinists in his generation. As soloist or chamber musician, his prodigious virtuosity is only an aspect of his talent which is at first a tasteful and stylish musicianship.” Ouest-France 07/2008