Anne-Sophie Mutter
Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is a musical phenomenon: for nearly five decades, the virtuoso has been a fixture in the world’s major concert halls, making her mark on the world as a soloist, mentor, collaborator, humanitarian, and visionary artist. A prolific recording artist with four Grammy® Awards, Anne-Sophie Mutter is equally committed to the performance of the traditional violin catalogue and to the expansion of the repertoire. To date, she has given world premieres of 31 works written for her by such distinguished composers as Thomas Adès, Unsuk Chin, Sebastian Currier, Henri Dutilleux, Sofia Gubaidulina, Witold Lutosławski, Norbert Moret, Krzysztof Penderecki, Sir André Previn, Wolfgang Rihm, Jörg Widmann and John Williams.
Dedicated to supporting young, talented and gifted musicians, Mutter founded the Association of Friends of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation in 1997, to which the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation was added in 2008. These two charitable institutions provide support for the Foundation’s scholarship recipients, which is tailored to each of the fellow’s individual needs. Since 2011, Anne-Sophie Mutter has regularly shared the spotlight on stage with her ensemble of fellows known as Mutter Virtuosi. In addition, she is dedicated to supporting numerous charity projects. She has been a member of the Lucerne Festival Board of Trustees since January 2022.
Anne-Sophie Mutter’s 2025 concert calendar – the year before her 50th anniversary of performing on stage in Lucerne – once again reflects the violinist’s musical versatility and her unrivalled standing in the world of classical music with performances in Europe and North America. With two world premieres, by Aftab Darvishi and Max Richter, she will once again present her audience with new repertoire.
Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis rang in the 37th year of their musical collaboration on a US recital tour, including the world premiere at Carnegie Hall of Aftab Darvishi’s new work for solo violin, Likoo, commissioned by and dedicated to her, and is Mutter’s first world premiere of a work by an Iranian composer.
After performances of Berg’s violin concerto with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Michel Tabachnik and the Staatskapelle Berlin under Simone Young, Mutter returns to the US with pianist Yefim Bronfman and cellist Pablo Ferrández to perform two heavyweights of piano trio literature: Beethoven’s ‘Archduke Trio’ and Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece in A minor. Mutter will also perform this repertoire later in Europe with pianist Lauma Skride and cellist Lionel Martin, a scholarship holder of her foundation, and again with Bronfman and Ferrández.
She will perform the Brahms Double Concerto with Ferrández, also a scholarship holder, followed by an extensive European summer tour playing John Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2 and selected film themes with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Lina González-Granados and Vasily Petrenko. Mutter will play Thomas Adès’ Air – Homage to Sibelius, with Cristian Măcelaru conducting the Orchestre National de France and she will present her second world premiere of 2025 in October at Vienna’s Musikverein with a work by Max Richter for violin and orchestra. Following a benefit concert for the Mendelssohn House in November, Mutter concludes her concert year 2025 playing Beethoven with Fabio Luisi conducting the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
Anne-Sophie Mutter has been recognized around the world for her contribution to the arts, culture, social causes, and leadership. She has been awarded the German Grand Cross of the Order of Merit, the French Medal of the Legion of Honor, the Bavarian Order of Merit, the Decoration of Honor for Services to the Republic of Austria, and numerous other honors. Most recently, the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow bestowed an honorary doctorate upon her in 2022, and in 2023, she received the Ruhr Piano Festival Prize and was awarded a Gold Medal from the Royal Philharmonic Society.