Martin Chalifour
In 1995, Martin Chalifour began his tenure as Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, an orchestra hailed as “second to none” by the London Financial Times. He served previously as Associate Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1990 to 1995, and Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1990. Chalifour has performed with the Mainly Mozart Festival orchestra and as soloist and chamber music collaborator since the Festival began in 1989.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Chalifour began playing violin at the age of four with the Suzuki Method. He was the recipient of various grants and awards in Canada, including First Prizes in the International Stepping Stone, the National Competitive Festival of Music, and the DuMaurier Search for Stars. Chalifour graduated from the Montreal Conservatory at the age of 18 with a “Premier prix à l'Unanimité” (class of Raras Gabora). He then studied at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music with Jascha Brodsky and David Cerone.
Chalifour received a Certificate of Honor at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and was a laureate of the 1987 Montreal International Competition. Chalifour appears frequently as soloist and in recital, and has toured with chamber ensembles throughout North America and Europe. An avid chamber music enthusiast, he was a founding member of both the Atlanta Quartet and the Cleveland orchestra Piano Trio. He is currently on the faculty at the University of Southern California.
As soloist, Chalifour appears with orchestras around the world and recently played with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Queensland Philharmonic (Australia) and the Quebec Symphony. In January 1998, Chalifour performed the Schubert Quintet with cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a special event that helped to raise over $100,000 for the Scripps Cancer Center in La Jolla, California. Later that year, his solo performance of the Bernstein Serenade in Lincoln Center was praised by The New York Times. Other recent solo performances include the Beethoven Concerto with Roger Norrington at the Hollywood Bowl and a concerto written especially for him by conductor/composer Esa-Pekka Salonen.
In addition to The Mainly Mozart Festival, Chalifour participates in a number of summer music festivals including the Sarasota Music Festival, and the Australian Chamber Music Festival.
