Virgil Boutellis-Taft, violin
Classical Bridge International Music Festival Academy
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Described as an “unrivaled violinist," "of fiery temperament", Virgil Boutellis-Taft regularly gives solo and chamber music concerts in Europe and the United States.
He has played with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, the Emeritus Chamber Orchestra of Israel, the Sinfonia Varsovia, the Pelléas Chamber Orchestra, the Mid Atlantic Symphony Orchestra… He has also performed at major international festivals including Bowdoin (USA), Eilat and the Red Sea Valery Gergiev (Israel) Valdres (Norway), Prussia Cove (England), Les Violons de Légende, Clairvaux, Les Moments Musicaux de La Baule, the Roque Anthéron, the Folle Journée.
Virgil has participated in numerous master classes with Zakhar Bron, Ivry Gitlis, Ida Haendel, Schlomo Mintz, Igor Oistrakh, Haim Taub, Hagai Shaham, Almita Vamos... As First Prize of the Paris Conservatory and winner of the Bleustein-Blanchet Foundation, he decided to pursue his musical career abroad, invited by the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and at the Royal College of Music in London where he obtained his Masters and his Artist Diploma. He then spent two years in Israel, invited by Tel Aviv University for a postdoc, as part of its International Music Program. In 2012, he became laureate of the Banque Populaire Foundation. '
Virgil performs with pianists and composers Paul Cantelon and Tara Kamangar, both of whom have dedicated works to him: Paul Cantelon :"Nocturne", created in March 2013 in Seattle with the composer and recorded with him in April 2013 in New York. "Neshama", a work composed in November 2016, premiered in December 2016 at Carnegie Hall, with the composer. Tara Kamangar: « Once There Was and Once There Wasn’t » composed in September 2015 and premiered in November 2015 at Carnegie Hall with the composer and later recorded in June 2016 for Evidence Classics/Harmonia Mundi. Drew Hemenger, American composer, also dedicated the piece "Magatama" to Virgil.
Since 2015, Virgil and the violinist Irene Duval have created the violin duo La Rose and le Reseda. His CD "Between Orient and Occident", recorded with the pianist Guillaume Vincent, was released on October 7th, 2016 by Evidence Classics/Harmonia Mundi.
Virgil plays the Domenico Montagnana "ex Régis Pasquier" Venice 1742, through the generosity of a private sponsor.