'Lea Birringer’s tonal radiance and sparkling articulation captivate the senses'

- The Strad-

Verve, passion and ‘full-blooded commitment’ (Gramophone) are the characteristics which Lea Birringer is most often associated with. Recognized as ‘one of the most talented violinists of her generation' (Pizzicato), she is convincing as a soloist with orchestra as well as in recital with piano or in various chamber music ensembles alongside prominent partners.

Her international career took flight with her solo debut at the Berlin Philharmonie at the age of 14, leading to engagements at renowned venues including Vienna's Musikverein, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Gasteig in Munich, the Louvre in Paris and Herkulessaal in Munich. Among the notable standout moments from her earlier performances was her appearance as part of the Salzburg Festival.
Lea's previous orchestral highlights encompass collaborations with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma under Fabio Mechetti, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie under Jean-Michel Lavoie, Staatskapelle Weimar with Michael Zlabinger, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie under Benjamin Shwartz, Berliner Symphoniker with Pavel Baleff, Polska Filharmonia Bałtycka under Paweł Kotla and Robert Schumann Philharmonie with Felix Bender.

Highlights of the 2023/24 season include Lea’s debuts with the Miami Symphony Orchestra under Eduardo Marturet and with the Staatskapelle Halle under José Miguel Esandi, her return to the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie under Catherine Larsen-Maguire with Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto, as well as performances of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto at Kulturhaus Dornbirn and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Prussian State Orchestra under Jürgen Bruns.

In her playing, the young violinist combines meticulous attention to detail with elevated conceptual standards. This musicality is also reflected in her numerous awards and accolades, including prizes from the international violin competitions Johannes Brahms, Kloster Schöntal, Premio Rodolfo Lipizer, Louis Spohr, and Abram Yampolsky. For these extraordinary achievements, she was honoured by her hometown of Saarbrücken with the Culture Award.

Lea also possesses a strong passion for chamber music and has collaborated with artists such as Igor Levit, Pavel Vernikov, Atar Arad, Barbara Bonney, Eszter Haffner and Wen-Sinn Yang. After winning two prestigious international chamber music competitions (Premio Vittorio Gui and Concorso Internazionale di Musica da Camera Città di Pinerolo) together with her sister Esther, the Duo regularly appears on stage, including recitals at Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Davos Festival, the Festival Lugano Musica, the Weilburger Schlosskonzerte, the Usedom Music Festival among others. Their collaborative albums have been met with enthusiastic critical acclaim.    

Recording for Rubicon Classics, Lea released her fourth album on the label in April 2022 - it features the Mendelssohn and Sinding Concerti, with the Hof Symphony Orchestra under Hermann Bäumer, and garnered Lea her third nomination for the International Classical Music Awards. Lea was hailed as a musician with ‘both a capacity for high emotionality and strong technical mastery’ solidifying ‘her rising stardom as one of Europe’s most recognized and accomplished violinists’ (Fanfare), with The Strad adding that ‘it’s a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the unfamiliar Sinding works in such committed and satisfying performances here’.
Lea’s third recording showcased a collection of Solo Violin works, which was praised as ‘an ingenious programme celebrating the seemingly inescapable creative impact of Bach’s solo violin music’ (The Strad). The album was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards as well as for the Opus Klassik.
Her ‘Di tanti palpiti’ disc of virtuoso recital music was released in Autumn 2021 and received a prestigious Supersonic Award, as well as nominations for both the International Classical Music Awards and the German Record Critics' Award. According to Pizzicato Magazine, the listener can ‘experience virtuosity at the highest level’.

Lea began playing the violin at the age of three. After being a junior student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, she completed her musical education with Igor Ozim and with Pavel Vernikov, both with distinction. Further important artistic impulses she received from Stephan Picard and Vadim Gluzman.
After graduating, Lea taught as Pavel Vernikov’s assistant at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne, Site de Sion and has served as a guest lecturer at the Archi Arrigoni Music Academy in Italy since 2012. In recent years she has given master classes in Europe, Latin America and the USA and has repeatedly taught at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in Weimar.