Joshua Bell, (December 9, 1967, Bloomington, Indiana, USA), is, without a doubt, one of the most recognized musicians in the world.
His parents gave him his first violin at the age of four, after they discovered that he made music by stretching rubber bands of different lengths in the dresser drawers. Bell made his orchestral solo debut at age 14 with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra, becoming the youngest soloist in the orchestra’s history. Since then, his career has been praised for his musical exquisiteness and virtuosity, which have made him a regular performer with the best orchestras in the world.
In 2011, Bell was appointed Music Director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, replacing conductor Sir Neville Mariner.
Beyond the classical repertoire, Bell has collaborated with artists from a multitude of genres, such as Chick Corea, Regina Spektor, Wynton Marsalis, Chris Botti, Anoushka Shankar and Sting. He has also participated in several film soundtracks and has appeared in documentaries and television fiction such as the Mozart in the Junngle series. His 2007 undercover performance in a Washington subway station led to the film Find Your Way: En Busker’s Documentary. They also inspired the children’s book The Man with the Violin.
Joshua Bell plays a 1713 Stradivarius Huberman violin.