Esther Abrami Named Artist-in-Residence with the English Symphony Orchestra

The role, which also includes the title of Creative Partner, will commence in the 2023/24 season

As part of her residency with the English Symphony Orchestra (ESO), violinist Esther Abrami Abrami will make a number of solo appearances as part of the orchestra's 2023/24 concert season. She will also act as a mentor and teacher in the ESO's Youth Program, which nurtures the playing of local young musicians.

Born in Aix-en-Provence, France, Esther Abrami came to the United Kingdom at the age of 14 to study at Chetham's School of Music. She continued her studies with Leonid Kerbel at the Royal College of Music and has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, and the Barbican Centre.

In 2019, Esther Abrami became the first classical musician to be nominated in the Social Media Superstar category at the Global Awards, and in 2022, she released her debut album on Sony Classical. She has been awarded a full scholarship for a master's degree at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire under the guidance of Professor Wen Zhou Li.

Esther Abrami plays a fine Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, kindly loaned to her through the Beare's International Violin Society.

"I am delighted to embark on this new relationship with the English Symphony Orchestra, both on the concert platform and through ESO’s Youth program – as an artist, I am committed to bringing music to the widest possible audience," Abrami said.

Founded by William Boughton as the English String Orchestra in 1980, the English Symphony Orchestra is based in Worcestershire, where the composer Edward Elgar was raised. Under its current Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Kenneth Woods, the orchestra has become known for its innovative programming.

In 2017, Woods launched the 21st Century Symphony project, which will see the orchestra commission and record nine new symphonies by living composers over the coming years.

"Esther Abrami has been making waves with her ability to inspire and engage a new following in classical music, something that is at the heart of the English Symphony Orchestra’s work on the concert platform, in the recording studio and through our work with hundreds of young people in our ESO Youth program," said Kenneth Woods.

"We are excited to work with her in this new role of Creative Partner and Artist in Residence," he added.