Axel Schacher

Born in 1981, Axel Schacher began studying the violin at the age of 4. At the age of twelve he won the Royaume de la Musique tournament, organised by the Maison de la Radio in Paris, and played E. Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole at the prize-winners’ concert, accompanied by the Garde Républicaine orchestra. At the age of thirteen, he entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in Boris Garlitski’s class.

In 1998, he was awarded first prize by the city of Paris, and in 2000 first prize with honours from the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris. In 1998 he won the Andrea Postacchini International Competition, and in 2000 he won second prize in the Tibor Varga International Competition, as well as special prizes for the best interpretation of Bach’s work and Paganini’s Caprice. Since 2003, he has been First Solo Violin with the Basel Symphony Orchestra.

He taught chamber music at the Guildhall School of London from 2010 to 2015. For over twelve years he was a member of the internationally renowned Belcea Quartet, which has performed for almost thirty years in the most prestigious concert halls (Berlin Philharmonie, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Boulez Saal,

Helbphilharmonie, Konzerthaus Wien) and with musicians such as Tabea Zimmerman, Piotr Anderszerwski, Matthias Goerne, Jean Guihen Queyras, Antoine Tamestit, Martin Fröst, Elisabeth Leonska, Jorg Widmann and Ian Bostridge. The Belcea Quartet has made over twenty-five recordings to international acclaim.