German-Hungarian violinist Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay began playing in 1988, taking lessons at the music school in Magdeburg, and went on to study under Professor Jost Witter at the Schloss Belvedere Music School and the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Weimar.

Laureate of several international solo prizes, including the International Louis Spohr Violin Competition and the International Henry Marteau Violin Competition, Zsolt’s solo engagements include performing with a number of German orchestras. In 2005 he became Leader of the European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO), performing under conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink and Sir Colin Davis, and a year later he also became Concert Master of the Philharmonic Orchestra in Altenburg-Gera. He has led orchestras such as the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Hamburg Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Orchestra Nacional de Porto, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, touring throughout Europe, Russia, Asia and the US.

In 2007, at the age of 24, he became Joint Concert Master of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Since then his solo engagements with the Orchestra have included performing The Lark Ascending under both David Hill and Sir Andrew Davis. He has recorded the John Jeffreys Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia and Paul Bateman. In addition he has acted as violinist/director with the Philharmonia and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Established as a sought-after chamber musician, he has recorded the Rachmaninov and Shostakovich Trios with Mats Lidström and Vladimir Ashkenazy for Decca as well as Bartók’s Contrasts with Mark van de Wiel and Yefim Bronfman.

Collaborating with those artists already mentioned as well as many others including Min-Jung Kym and Jamie Walton, he performs in major venues such as the Mozartsaal, Vienna; Salle Gaveau, Paris; and Wigmore Hall, London.