David Garrett - Millennium Symphony

David Garrett is a German-American violinist, born on September 4, 1980, in Aachen. His mother, American ballerina Dove Garrett, and his father, German lawyer Georg Bongartz, introduced him to music at an early age. He began playing the violin at the age of four and enrolled at the conservatory in Lübeck at the age of seven. At nine, he made his debut at the Kissinger Sommer festival, and at twelve, he began collaborating with violinist Ida Haendel. At thirteen, he signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, making him one of the youngest soloists to do so. In 1999, he enrolled at the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied under Itzhak Perlman and graduated in 2004.

Garrett is known for blending classical music with contemporary genres such as rock, pop, and electronic music. His albums, including *Encore* (2008), *Rock Symphonies* (2010), and *Explosive* (2015), showcase this fusion. In 2013, he starred in the film *The Devil’s Violinist*, portraying Niccolò Paganini, and released the album *Garrett vs Paganini* the same year. In 2008, he was listed in the Guinness World Records as the fastest violinist for performing “Flight of the Bumblebee” in 66.56 seconds.

In 2024, Garrett released the album *Millennium Symphony*, which features arrangements of well-known tracks such as Måneskin’s “The Loneliest.” The album is part of a world tour of the same name, which began in March 2025. Additionally, Garrett received the Radio Regenbogen award for his contribution to music.

Garrett plays several valuable violins, including a 1716 Stradivarius and a 1736 Guarneri del Gesù. In 2007, he damaged his 1772 Guadagnini in a fall, which he later had restored.

Besides music, Garrett has also worked as a model and actor. While studying at Juilliard, he modeled professionally, earning him the nickname “The Beckham of the Violin.”