Concert with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra

Born in Basel, Willi Zimmermann began violin lessons at the age of six. In 1978, he was admitted to the class of Sándor Zöldy and graduated with distinction in both his teaching and concert diplomas. A scholarship enabled him to continue his studies with Sándor Végh and Günter Pichler. From 1985 to 2007, Willi Zimmermann was the first violinist of the internationally active and highly acclaimed Amati Quartet. As concertmaster of the Musikkollegium Winterthur Orchestra from 1992 to 2010, and concertmaster of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra since 2008, he has led numerous performances from the podium. 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 a co-soloist, he has also performed with Daniel Hope, Giuliano Carmignola, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, among many others. Willi Zimmermann is a regular guest conductor of the Berlin Baroque Soloists of the Berlin Philharmonic.

1945 durch Edmond de Stoutz gegründet, zählt das Zürcher Kammerorchester heute zu den führenden Klangkörpern seiner Art. Unter der Leitung von Edmond de Stoutz und später von Howard Griffiths und Muhai Tang erlangte das Ensemble internationale Anerkennung. In der Ära mit dem weltweit angesehenen Principal Conductor Sir Roger Norrington, von 2011 bis 2015, konnte das Zürcher Kammerorchester seine hervorragende Reputation nachhaltig festigen.  Seit der Saison 2016/17 leitet Music Director Daniel Hope das Orchester.