Cellist Matt Haimovitz was twelve years old when he was discovered by Itzhak Perlman during a music camp in California. At the age of 13, he was accepted to the renowned Juilliard School in New York City and was described by his teacher Leonard Rose as "probably the greatest talent I've ever taught". A year later, he gave his first concert with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Metha.
After receiving the Avery Fisher Career Grant Award, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft at the age of 16, which presented his recording debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by James Levine. Many more recordings followed, including solo cello works, which were honoured with numerous awards, including the "Grand Prix International du Disque" and the "Diapason d'Or".
Matt Haimovitz has appeared as a soloist with leading international orchestras from the Cleveland Orchestra to the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of great conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Kent Nagano, Semyon Bychkov and Seiji Ozawa, to name but a few. From the age of 15, he performed chamber music with world-famous colleagues such as Isaac Stern, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Shlomo Mintz, Pinkas Zuckerman and others.
He has worked closely with composers such as Györgi Ligeti and George Crumb, and has made significant contributions in the field of contemporary and experimental music. In 2012, he performed the world premiere of Philip Glass' Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 2 "Naqoyqatsi" with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dennis Russel Davies.
Matt Haimovitz plays a cello made by Matteo Goffriller in 1710.
