Noah Bendix-Balgley,

“The concertmaster is a leader among equals in the orchestra, and must serve to facilitate communication between the conductor and the orchestra, and between different sections of the orchestra. The symphony orchestra is a huge organism. The concertmaster must keep his ears and eyes finely attuned to many things at once, and then make the necessary adjustments to provide clarity and leadership that brings the ensemble closer together.”

Noah Bendix-Balgley performs on one of the few violins from the Cremonese workshop of Carlo Bergonzi – an instrument that enables him to share his “thoughts and emotions with other musicians and the audience”. Noah Bendix-Balgley’s life-long goal is to produce a sound that is not only beautiful but also expressive and connects with listeners in a meaningful way. The violinist, a native of North Carolina, was concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 2011 to 2015, then joined the Berliner Philharmoniker as first concertmaster. Noah Bendix-Balgley appears as a soloist with leading orchestras throughout the world – naturally, also in concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

An avid chamber musician, he performs in several fixed ensembles, including the trio with pianist Robert Levin and cellist Peter Wiley and the multi-genre septet Philharmonix featuring members of the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Vienna Philharmonic. Noah Bendix-Balgley is also an enthusiastic interpreter of traditional klezmer music, appearing with such world-famous klezmer ensembles as Brave Old World. He has taught klezmer workshops throughout Europe and the United States and has composed a klezmer violin concerto, Fidl-Fantazye, which was presented in the Philharmonie Berlin in April 2023.