Norwegian violinist Mari Samuelsen has enjoyed a remarkable rise on the international concert stage through a characteristic mixture of artistry and enterprise. Her concerts combine a breathtaking musical finesse and virtuosity and an imaginative and innovative approach to presentation. Mari has appeared as soloist at some of the world’s most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, New York; Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Paris; Konzerthaus, Berlin; Smetana Hall, Prague; Kremlin Hall, Moscow and the Victoria Hall, Geneva. Recent performances have included a return to the Barbican, London; debuts at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and with Kristjan Järvi and the MDR Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig and performances in Munich and Luzern. She works regularly with composer Max Richter, as soloist in concert performances of his works ‘Recomposed’ (most recently in Leipzig and Paris) and ‘Memoryhouse’. Future highlights include opening this year’s Montreux Jazz Festival, Philip Glass’s double concerto in Istanbul, performances at the Bremen Musikfest and the release of her solo album, ‘Nordic Noir’ (Universal) featuring new works from contemporary Nordic composers. For the past two years, alongside her brother, Håkon, Mari has been artistic director of the Yellow Lounge in Norway, bringing the Berlin-born clubnight to Oslo and collaborating with partners such as the pre-eminent video artist, Philipp Geist. Their debut album, Pas de Deux, on Mercury Classics (Universal), included a new work written for them by the Oscar-winning composer, the late James Horner. It went straight to no. 1 in the Norwegian pop charts, the first classical album to do so in more than 20 years. Mari Samuelsen plays the ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ Stradivarius 1724, generously on loan from Florian Leonhard Fine Violins, London. Website: http://samuelsenmusic.com