Christina Åstrand   (Born 1969)

Christina Åstrand is one of the most remarkable violinists in scandinavia. at the early age of 13 she was admitted to the Royal Academy of Music in Århus and at just 22 she was engaged as leader of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. She was born in Skan­derborg into a musical family and began play­ing at the age of four according to the Suzuki method. At the academy in Århus her teacher was tutter Givskov, and later she studied in Paris with Gérard Poulet, until she graduated with her own soloist debut in 1990. Christina Åstrand’s repertoire in both solo concertos and chamber works ranges from the clas­sical masterworks to brand new composi­tions. She has given several violin concertos their first performance and is one of the few violinists in the world who masters the Violin concerto of the late György Ligeti. Christina Åstrand appears on several CDs including a recording of Danish Romantic violin con­certos by Emil Hartmann (on Dacapo) and Niels W. Gade and Axel Gade (on Danacord). Her recordings of Per Nørgård’s and Ligeti’s violin concertos (on Chandos) won the pres­tigious French Prize Diapason d’or in 2001. Another highly acclaimed CD features the horn trios of Brahms and Ligeti (on Chan­dos), which she recorded with the hornist Jakob Keiding and her husband, the pianist of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Per Salo. Christina Åstrand is a Dame of the order of the Dannebrog and has received many honours, including the Jacob Gade Prize and the Tagea Brandt Travel Grant.