21. March 2026
Violin Inmo Yang
Violin & Conductor Willi Zimmermann
Zurich Chamber Orchestra
Arcangelo Corelli:
Concerto grosso in F major, Op. 6 No. 2
Pietro Antonio Locatelli:
Concerto grosso in C minor, Op. 1 No. 11
Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 3 No. 11
Jean-Marie Leclair:
"Premier Air des Démons"
"Deuxième Air des Démons" from Scylla et Glaucus, Op. 11
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 7 No. 5
Jean-Marie Leclair made a name for himself in the 18th century not only as a violinist and composer but also as a ballet master. Together with the South Korean violinist Inmo Yang, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra presents a virtuosic late Baroque program that showcases the various facets of the artist while also shedding light on his Italian influences and inspirations.
The Korean violinist Inmo Yang recently made his debut at the BBC Proms and has already appeared in the 2025/26 season with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Festival Strings Lucerne, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and the Munich Symphony Orchestra. He studied at the Korea National University of Arts, the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and with Antje Weithaas at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin as well as at the Kronberg Academy. In 2015, he won the prestigious Premio Paganini in Genoa along with several special prizes, and in 2022 he was awarded first prize at the Jean Sibelius Violin Competition. Since then, he has performed as a soloist on major stages worldwide with leading orchestras including the New York and LA Philharmonic Orchestras, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Royal Stockholm and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestras, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, as well as the philharmonic orchestras of Hong Kong and Seoul. He has collaborated with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Roberto González-Monjas, Fabio Luisi, Jonathan Nott, Kristiina Poska, John Storgårds, Osmo Vänskä and Jaap van Zweden. He has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, including Paganini’s 24 Caprices for solo violin (2019) and the album "The Genetics of Strings" (2021). Inmo Yang performs on a 1743 violin by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù.
Born in Basel, Willi Zimmermann received his first violin lessons at the age of six. In 1978, he entered the class of Sándor Zöldy, graduating with distinction in both teaching and performance diplomas. A scholarship enabled him to continue his studies with Sándor Végh and Günter Pichler. From 1985 to 2007, he was the primarius of the internationally active and award-winning Amati Quartet.
From 1992 to 2010, he served as concertmaster of the Musikkollegium Winterthur, and since 2008 he has held the same position with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, frequently directing performances from the leader’s desk. This has led to collaborations with renowned artists such as Krystian Zimerman, Fazıl Say, András Schiff, Rudolf Buchbinder, Heinrich Schiff, Thomas Zehetmair, Sir James Galway and Pinchas Zukerman. As co-soloist, he has also performed with Daniel Hope, Giuliano Carmignola, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and many others. A regular guest, Willi Zimmermann also directs the Berlin Baroque Soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic.
The Zurich Chamber Orchestra is one of the leading ensembles of its kind. Since its founding in 1945, outstanding personalities such as Edmund de Stoutz and conductors including Howard Griffiths, Muhai Tang and Sir Roger Norrington have played a decisive role in shaping its artistic profile. Since the 2016/17 season, Music Director Daniel Hope has led the orchestra, following the dynamic principle of “Play & Conduct,” in which the soloist directs the ensemble from their instrument.
The ZKO’s repertoire has always been wide-ranging, spanning from Baroque through Classical and Romantic to contemporary music. It is also distinguished by collaborations with musicians from related genres such as jazz, folk and pop. Family concerts, educational work with children and young people, and the support of emerging talent are as central to the orchestra as its ongoing collaborations with internationally renowned soloists.
The orchestra is regularly invited to major international festivals including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Gstaad Menuhin Festival and Odessa Classics. Guest appearances in major music centres, concert tours across Europe, the Americas, Asia and South Africa, as well as numerous critically acclaimed recordings, testify to the ensemble’s global reputation.
