David Yonan

After drawing attention to his unique talent at the age of 10 by winning the Berlin Youth Competition, David Yonan gave his recital debuts in Berlin, Moscow, and St. Petersburg, performing works by Bach, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninov.

He gave his debut at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12, performing Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No.2, and was a featured soloist one year later in Prokoffiev's Violin Concerto No.2 in the concert "Violinists of the 21st Century", presented by conductor Albrecht, in a european broadcast by Deutsche Welle TV.

After auditioning successfully for Ruggiero Ricci, Yehudi Menuhin, and Henryk Szeryng, David Yonan came to the United States on a scholarship of the Music Institute of Chicago, to continue his studies with renowned violin pedagogues Roland and Almita Vamos and later with the celebrated violin teacher Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School New York, and at the Aspen Music Festival, as a scholarship student of the Starling Foundation. In 2001 Mr. Yonan was selected by invitation of the late Miss DeLay to perform at the 1st International Starling-DeLay Violin Symposium of the Juilliard School in 3 concerts and in master classes by Itzhak Perlman, Cho Liang Lin, and Robert McDuffie.

His debut recording was released in 1995 by the Price Waterhouse label Berlin, and features works of Ravel, Debussy and Wieniawski with pianist Anne Marie McDermott.

After winning 1st prizes at the International Violin Competition in Kloster Schoental, Germany in 1993, Hanns Eisler Competition Berlin (1994),International Ruggiero Ricci concert prize Berlin (1995), International Carl Flesch Academy (1995), Mr. Yonan received also top honors from the International Music Competition Vina del Mar, Chile, and at the Concourse International Ruggiero Ricci Iserlohn 1995.
Festival performances include the Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin Music Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Music Festival, Academia internazionale Cervo (Italy), the Daniel Musik Dagen (Netherlands), and the Weathersfield Music Festival.

In March 2002 Mr. Yonan performed the complete 24 Paganini Caprices in their original version at the Fine Arts Building Chicago, in presence of legendary concert violinist Ruggiero Ricci, and at the Aspen Music Festival in 2002.
A recording of the 24 Caprices recorded at WFMT Chicago in 2002, is due to be released Spring 2004.

David Yonan started his musical training at the age of 4. He started violin lessons at the age of 6 with Abraham Jaffe in Berlin, and later continued his studies at the Berlin Music Academy "Hanns Eisler" with Prof. Werner Scholz, where he received his Masters of Music degree with high honors and an artist diploma in 2000. He received additional post-graduate education at Northwestern University on a full scholarship of the German Academic Exchange Program (DAAD).

In Master classes and private studies in violin, composing, conducting and chamber music, Mr.Yonan studied with Ruggiero Ricci, Michel Schwalbe, Christoph Poppen, Arvo Part, Easley Blackwood, Joseph Kalichstein, Leon Fleischer, and Saschko Gawrilloff.

Mr. Yonan is founding member and artistic director of the Fine Arts Music Society, a newly formed organization to promote a new, innovative and dynamic concert series for Chicago. He currently serves as Music director of the A.U.A. foundation Chicago, and has previously been on the faculties of the McHenry County Music Center and the Merit School of Music.