Joshua David Bell (born 9 December 1967) is an American Grammy Award-winning violinist. is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A violinist is an instrumentalist who plays the violin. ...

Childhood

Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, the son of a psychologist and a therapist.^[1] Bell's father was the late Alan P. Bell, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Indiana University, in Bloomington, a former Kinsey researcher.^[2] Location in the state of Indiana Coordinates: County Monroe Mayor Mark Kruzan Area    - City 51. ... Indiana University is the principal campus of the Indiana University system. ... The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction, often shortened to Kinsey Institute, exists to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the fields of human sexuality, gender, and reproduction. The Institute was founded as the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University at Bloomington in 1947 by Alfred...

Bell began taking violin lessons at the age of four after his mother discovered her son had taken rubber bands from around the house and stretched them across the handles of his dresser drawer to pluck out music he had heard her play on the piano. His parents got him a scaled-to-size violin for their then five-year-old son and started giving him lessons. A bright student, Bell took to the instrument but lived an otherwise normal midwest Indiana life playing video games and excelling at sports, namely tennis and bowling, even placing in a national tennis tournament at the age of ten.^[3]

Bell studied as a boy first under Mimi Zweig, then switched to Josef Gingold after assurances from Bell's parents that they were not interested in pushing their son in the study of the violin but simply wanted him to have the best teacher for their son's abilities. Satisfied that the boy was living a normal life, Gingold took Bell on as his student and to this day, Bell speaks of Gingold fondly as a great teacher and mentor. At the age of fourteen, Bell appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti. He studied the violin at the Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, while managing to graduate from Bloomington High School North in 1984,^[4] a year ahead of schedule. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Philadelphia Orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the Big Five symphony orchestras in the United States and usually considered among the finest in the world. ... Riccardo Muti (born July 28, 1941, in Naples) is an Italian conductor best known for being the Music Director of Milans La Scala opera house, a position he held from 1986 to 2005, and of The Philadelphia Orchestra from 1980 to 1992. ... Indiana University is the principal campus of the Indiana University system. ... The Simon Music Center of the Jacobs School of Music The Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana is generally considered to be one of the best music schools in the United States. ... This article is about the year. ...

Career

Joshua Bell made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985 with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has since performed with almost all of the world's major orchestras and conductors. As well as the standard concerto repertoire, Bell has performed new works—Nicholas Maw's violin concerto is dedicated to him, the recording of which won Bell a Grammy, and gave the world premiere of the work in 1993. He performed the solo part on John Corigliano's Oscar-winning soundtrack for the film The Red Violin and was also featured in Ladies in Lavender. Bell also made an appearance in the movie Music of the Heart, a story about the power of music, with other notable violinists. Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street. ... The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) was founded in 1880, making it the second oldest symphony in the United States after the New York Philharmonic. ... Nicholas Maw (born 1935) is a British composer. ... Grammy Award statuette The Grammy Awards, presented by the Recording Academy (an association of Americans professionally involved in the recorded music industry) for outstanding achievements in the recording industry, is one of four major music awards shows held annually in the United States (the Billboard Music Awards, the American Music... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... John Corigliano (b. ... The Red Violin (French: Le Violon rouge, German: Die Rote Geige, Italian: Il Violino Rosso, Mandarin: 红提琴) is a Canadian film released on November 13, 1998 (in the USA on June 11, 1999). ... Ladies in Lavender is a 2004 film directed by Charles Dance. ... Music of the Heart is a 1999 dramatic film. ...

Bell's instrument is a 300-year-old Stradivarius violin called the Gibson ex Huberman, which was made in 1713 during what is known as Antonio Stradivari's "Golden Era." This violin had been stolen twice from the previous owner, Bronislaw Huberman; the last time the thief confessed to the act on his deathbed.^[5] Bell had held and played the violin, and its owner at the time jokingly told Bell the violin could be his for four million dollars. Shortly thereafter, by chance, Bell came across the violin again and discovered it was about to be sold to a German industrialist to become part of a collection. According to the Joshua Bell website (joshuabell.com), Bell "was practically in tears." Bell then reportedly sold his current Stradivarius, the Tom Taylor, for a little more than two million dollars and made the purchase of the Gibson ex Huberman for a little under the four million dollar asking price. His first recording made with the Gibson ex Huberman was Romance of the Violin (under Sony Classical) in 2003. It sold more than 5,000,000 copies and remained at the top of classical music charts for 54 weeks. Joshua Bell's most recent CD is called the Voice of the Violin and was released in September 2006. It features vocal pieces arranged for the violin. Antonio Stradivari, by Edgar Bundy, 1893: a romanticized image of a craftsman-hero One of the violins in the Stradivarius collection of the Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain A Stradivarius is a stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family, especially by Antonio Stradivari. ... The Gibson Stradivarius is one of the famous Stradivarius violins constructed by Antonio Stradivari. ... Year 1713 (MDCCXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Antonio Stradivari examining an instrument, in a Romantic 19th-century print. ... Bronislaw Huberman (1882-1947) was a Polish violinist born in Czestochowa. ... Antonio Stradivari, by Edgar Bundy, 1893: a romanticized image of a craftsman-hero One of the violins in the Stradivarius collection of the Palacio Real, Madrid, Spain A Stradivarius is a stringed instrument built by members of the Stradivari family, especially by Antonio Stradivari. ... Sony Classical was started in 1927 as Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of the American Columbia Records. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bell is an artistic partner for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (starting in the 2004–2005 season) and a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He also serves on the artists selection committee for the Kennedy Center Honors and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.^[6] The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO), based in St. ... The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) is a constituent college of the University of London, and is one of the worlds leading music institutions. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... “MIT” redirects here. ...

In a curious experiment, Bell played as an incognito street busker at the Metro station L'Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C. on January 12, 2007. Among 1,097 people who passed by, only one recognized him, and few even stopped to listen. For his nearly 45-minute performance, Bell collected $32.17 (not counting $20 from the passerby who recognized him).^[5] Busking is the practice of doing live performances in public places to entertain people, usually to solicit donations and tips. ... Station entrance pylon at LEnfant Plaza. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

It was announced on April 8, 2007 that Bell had won the Avery Fisher Prize, given once every few years to classical instrumentalists for outstanding achievement. It was awarded at Lincoln Center on April 10, 2007. ^[7] On May 3, 2007 it was announced that Bell had joined the Indiana University Jacobs School of music faculty as senior lecturer.^[8]. April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Avery Fisher Prize is an award given to American musicians for outstanding achievement in classical music. ... The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Personal information

Bell resides in Gramercy Park, Manhattan. Bell is keen on sports such as golf and tennis. Gramercy, also called Gramercy Park, is a neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, focused around Gramercy Park, a private park between East 20th and 21st Streets. ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ...

Bell has never been married but has one child, Josef Matricardi Bell born July 31, 2007. Josef Bell's mother is Joshua Bell's former girlfriend, violinist Lisa Matricardi. In a BBC Music Magazine interview in September of 2007, Bell stated: "This child... was planned with, of all people, the girl you saw in that BBC film made about me 13 years ago, my girlfriend at the time. She is the mother of the child, and we are not together. This is happening 15 years after we first met. We've been not together, as a couple, for eight years now, but we planned to have a child -- I've always wanted to be a father, though marriage has been a challenge, because of my totally crazy schedule. I feel I'd like to have some influence on a child." BBC music magazine is a classical music magazine published in the UK by the BBC. It claims first place in terms of worldwide sales. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...

His mother, Dr. Shirley Bell, continues to reside in Bloomington, Indiana, and works with gifted children. He has one older half sister Terry, an older sister, Toby Jo Bell, and a younger sister, Rachel Bell.

References

is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Indiana University, founded in 1820, is a nine-campus university system in the state of Indiana. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

External links

• Official Website
• Interview on The Diane Rehm Show radio program
• Article about Bell performing in Washington D.C.'s L'Enfant Plaza metro station, by Gene Weingarten.
• Recording of Bell's performance in L'Enfant Plaza.