Dimitri Murrath
San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Esmé Quartet
Born in Brussels, Belgian American violist Dimitri Murrath has made his mark as a soloist on the international scene, performing regularly in venues including Jordan Hall (Boston), Kennedy Center (Washington), Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Royal Festival Hall (London), Kioi Hall (Tokyo), the National Auditorium (Madrid), and Théâtre de la Ville (Paris).
A recipient of a 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Dimitri is a first prize winner at the Primrose International Viola Competition and won top prizes at the first Tokyo International Viola Competition. In 2012, he was named laureate of the Juventus Festival, an award recognizing young European soloists. With a repertoire extending from Bach to contemporary music by Ligeti, Kurtag, and Sciarrino, Murrath is particularly keen on performing new works. He has taken part in the Park Lane Group New Year Series in London to great critical acclaim, as well as commissioned, given the world premieres, and recorded several solo works.
An avid chamber musician, Murrath is the violist of the Esmé String Quartet. He was a member musician of the Boston Chamber Music Society for 10 years. He has collaborated with Miriam Fried, Pamela Frank, Richard Goode, Gidon Kremer, Menahem Pressler, Mitsuko Uchida, and members of the Mendelssohn, Takacs, Guarneri, Cleveland, Jerusalem, and Juilliard String Quartets. Festivals include Verbier, Caramoor, Chamberfest Cleveland, Bridgehampton, Juventus, and Marlboro Festival.
Dimitri Murrath began his musical education at the Yehudi Menuhin School studying with Natalia Boyarsky and went on to work in London with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He graduated with an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory as a student of Kim Kashkashian. He joined the viola faculty at New England Conservatory aged 26 and taught there for 8 years. He is now a professor of viola and chair of chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Dimitri Murrath participates in the Music for Food project, which raises awareness of the hunger problem faced by a large percent of the population, and gives the opportunity to experience the powerful role music can play as a catalyst for change.
'The warm and noble tome of Mr. Murrath's viola glowed fiercely - for me the highlight of the concert.' New York Times
Faculty: San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Esmé Quartet
Photo by Carlin Ma
