Benjamin Schmid is widely recognized as one of the most versatile and remarkable violinists of our time. His international breakthrough came after winning the Carl Flesch Competition in London in 1992, where he also received the Mozart, Beethoven, and Audience Prizes. Since then, he has performed as a soloist in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, accompanied by leading orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Renowned for his virtuosity, expressive clarity, and unique versatility, Schmid combines the great classical repertoire with rarely performed concertos by composers such as Korngold, Gulda, Weill, Dutilleux, and Weinberg. He is also highly regarded as an exceptional jazz musician. He has recorded more than 60 acclaimed albums, including award-winning interpretations of both traditional repertoire and lesser-known works. His recording of Korngold’s Violin Concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Maestro Seiji Ozawa, was named one of the “Ten Best Live Recordings of All Time” by Fono Forum magazine.

A passionate interpreter of Mozart, Schmid has received numerous awards for his recordings and research on the composer, including the Paumgartner Medal from the Mozarteum Foundation. In 2023, he released new recordings of Mozart’s Violin Concertos Nos. 3, 4, and 5, as well as an original album of jazz violin concertos composed by Sabina Hank, Herbert Berger, and Friedrich Gulda, in collaboration with the Swedish chamber orchestra Musica Vitae

Highlights of his recent seasons include concerts at the Salzburg Festival, Bregenz Festival, Musikverein Vienna, and tours to Japan, Singapore, and the USA, alongside numerous performances with Musica Vitae and jazz trio collaborations.

Schmid is Professor of Violin at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Artistic Director of the ClassixKempten Festival in Germany, and President of the Jury of the Salzburg International Mozart Competition.

Benjamin Schmid is portrayed as one of the most important violinists in the bookThe Great Violinists of the 20th Century, by Jean-Michel Molkou, published by Buchet-Chastel in 2014.

He plays the “ex Viotti” Stradivarius (1718), on loan from the Austrian National Bank, and a modern violin by Wiltrud Fauler (2015).