Christina Castelli is the only performer of her generation to be awarded two of the world’s top prizes both as a solo violinist and as a solo violist. A Laureate of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition of Brussels and grand prize winner of the William Primrose International Viola Competition, Ms. Castelli has been a featured soloist with ensembles worldwide, including the orchestras of Cleveland, Atlanta, National, Seattle, Colorado, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, New Jersey, and Alabama in the U.S., and the Belgian National Orchestra, National Orchestra of Colombia, and Chilean Regional Philharmonic overseas.
As a recitalist, she has appeared on concert series in nearly every major city in the United States, and has been presented in such prominent venues as Carnegie Hall, where she made her critically hailed 2004 recital debut. She has also performed at the Kennedy Center, the United Nations, and in music festivals worldwide. In addition to live performances, Ms. Castelli has been heard as soloist and chamber musician in live concerts and recordings on radio stations around the globe. A teacher of award-winning violin students, Ms. Castelli is highly sought after as an instructor of children through a professional level of playing. Some of Ms. Castelli’s students reside in other states and drive or fly in for lessons. Ms. Castelli has taught violin and viola for more than 20 years and has sent students to national and international competitions as well as major summer festivals across the United States. She brings a rare combination of warmth and intensity to her teaching that contributes to her unique style of teaching.
Ms. Castelli began studying the violin at age three with Edward Kreitman, continuing her studies with Roland and Almita Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Harvard University and her master’s degree in violin performance from The Juilliard School, where she studied with Dorothy DeLay. She is the winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition and recipient of the Schuman Prize, Juilliard’s only award for graduate students. Ms. Castelli resides in the New York City area with her husband and three children.