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“When Charlie Siem gets the tiger under the chin, it purrs.” — Vanity Fair
One of the world’s most captivating young musicians, violinist Charlie Siem combines classical music prowess and cross-over appeal with striking good looks and charisma. The result: a thoroughly modern musical star.
Garnering praise around the globe (“When Charlie Siem gets the tiger under the chin, it purrs,” hailed Vanity Fair), the artist is a virtuoso who is bridging the worlds of classical music, fashion and pop culture, known for his well-trained ear, technical precision and stylish, graceful performances.
Born in London, Siem studied the violin at the Royal College of Music with Itzhak Rashkovsky, and later with Shlomo Mintz, while attending Eton College and Cambridge University. At only 30 years of age, he became the youngest Professor of Music in the UK (Leeds College of Music). He performs with one of the rarest instruments on the classical music stage — a priceless 1735 Guarneri del Gesù violin once owned by the King of Prussia.
Siem has played all over the globe with many of the world’s finest orchestras (The Royal, Moscow and Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestras; the Czech and the Oslo National Symphony Orchestras) and conductors (including Charles Dutoit, Edward Gardner, Zubin Mehta, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Roger Norrington, Libor Pesěk and Yuri Simonov). He’s performed for the Queen of Denmark and in after playing throughout China in 2016, was named Cultural Ambassador of Nanjing.
Siem has recorded eight albums, with his latest, Beethoven: Violin Concerto & Romances released in 2022. Throughout his diverse discography, he has performed alongside powerhouses like the London Symphony Orchestra and Münchner Rundfunkorchester as well as with his frequent collaborator, renowned pianist Itamar Golan.
While an unabashed purist, Siem has expanded his repertoire to bring classical music to a wider audience, performing onstage with The Who, Bryan Adams and Jamie Cullen, all while gaining superstar fans in Lady Gaga, Patti LaBelle and Katy Perry.
Siem’s dapper, international lifestyle has landed him on Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List twice and made him a muse for designers like the late Karl Lagerfeld, who photographed him as part of the 2015 and 2016 Dior men’s campaign as well as for Little Black Jacket (Taschen), his artbook with former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld. Siem has also had numerous collaborations with fashion brands including Armani, Chanel, Dunhill, and Hugo Boss.
CHARLIE SIEM
Siem was born in London
Born in London, Siem studied the violin at the Royal College of Music with Itzhak Rashkovsky, and later with Shlomo Mintz, while attending Eton College and Cambridge University. At only 30 years of age, he became the youngest Professor of Music in the UK (Leeds College of Music). He performs with one of the rarest instruments on the classical music stage — a priceless 1735 Guarneri del Gesù violin once owned by the king of Prussia.
Siem’s dapper, international lifestyle has made him a muse for designers like the late Karl Lagerfeld, who photographed Siem for both the 2015/16 Dior men’s campaign and his art book Little Black Jacket (Taschen), which he did with former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld. In addition, he has been named to Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List in 2014 and 2017.
PRESS COVERAGE
CHARLIE SIEM
Q&A with Charlie Siem
Did you always want to become a violinist?
I’ve always played the violin — I picked up on it when I was three and I’ve never looked back. It was my mum who introduced me to the instrument. She used to play tapes of music and I really fell in love with it. The repertoire for the violin is particularly special, there’s so much variety. Some of the great pieces which I used to listen to as a child are absolutely inspirational and they really stimulated my imagination. And it was wanting to play this music myself that really led me into it.
What are some of your fondest musical memories?
When I was 11, I played in Israel, in Tel Aviv — the Vivaldi concerto for four violins with Ida Haendel, one of the great violinists of all time, whom I studied with, and Shlomo Mintz, who is also my teacher. That was a great memory for me. Also, when I first played with the Oslo Philharmonic (I’m half Norwegian). I also remember playing with the Royal Philharmonic in Kenwood House, which is this big open-air venue in London, when I was 17. When I wrote my own piece, one or two years ago, and recorded this with the English Chamber Orchestra, that was a special moment for me because I’ve never written a piece before.
How does being so well-traveled affect your music?
Playing the violin is a very technical thing, and traveling is distracting in a way because the best way to be good at the violin is to stay in one place and practice very hard. But travelling is a great privilege and I enjoy it as much as I can. I don’t know if that affects the way you play, but I think it affects the way you enjoy music and what you get out of music. Your breadth of understanding is expanded when you travel because you see various different cultures, meet very different people and this opens you up. It makes you more aware of the differences in the world. And this allows you somehow to maybe be more generous in the way you express yourself in the music.
CHARLIE SIEM
Q&A with Charlie Siem
You have also become a style ambassador and muse for designers like Karl Lagerfeld. When did this develop?
By chance. I was playing a concert and I was asked the next day to be in the Dunhill campaign. I thought this was a great way to get exposure as a violinist and so I said yes. That’s how it started. I’ve done a few things in the fashion world and I continue to do things with those guys because I can meet a lot of interesting people and it doesn’t take much time. And I get paid very well!
You make it sound very easy.
If you’re lucky to work with great photographers, they make everything happen. It’s different than music but the same principles apply — you really have at it. And it’s a challenge every time when you go on the stage to do the best you can and to be at your highest level.
Why do you think the fashion world has taken such a liking to you?
I’ve got my personal style and I feel strong about who I am. I don’t think of myself as a fashionable person. I don’t follow the fashion of today. I like clothes and I like style but I find my own style, which is not necessarily the fashion of today. I do something unusual for the fashion world to use – they don’t have many violinists that they use. It’s an unusual but kind of glamorous connection.
What is your style secret?
The key to me is wearing clothes that fit you in a very complimentary way and are tailored particularly to your body shape. And also not to be wearing very flamboyant clothes so that everyone looks at the clothes and they don’t look at you. You don’t want people to just notice the clothes and not the person. I don’t like too many colors – I keep it simple.
