Michael Ludwig
Director & Conductor, Prysm Strings - New Jersey
Michael Ludwig’s multi-faceted musical career has taken him across four continents, appearing as solo violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Pops, KBS Symphony in Seoul, Korea, Beijing Symphony, and Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra amongst others, joining illustrious conductors such as Sir Georg Solti and John Williams. Michael has recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Michael’s discography includes recordings of the Beethoven Violin Concerto, Bruch Scottish Fantasy, and Dvorak Romance with the Virginia Symphony, as well as the Wieniawski Concerto No. 2, Corigliano Red Violin Concerto, and Sibelius Concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic. Ludwig’s recording of the Corigliano Red Violin Concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic is “hot, sharp, and close to the edge” writes critic Norman Lebrecht. His recording of the rarely performed Dohnanyi Violin Concertos with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has received extraordinary reviews worldwide and has revived interest in these neglected romantic works. Ludwig’s discography has drawn critical acclaim from both sides of the Atlantic. Fanfare magazine writes: “His phrasing is so sensitive–it could serve as an object lesson to every budding violinist.” And BBC Music Magazine praises his “persuasive playing, silky tone, sensitivity to colour and flair for golden-age’ style.” Michael Ludwig has been featured numerous times on Performance Today, a program that reaches approximately 1.2 million listeners on 230 radio stations nationwide. He has been featured on Bulgarian National Radio, Balkan Bulgarian Television, and the Korean Broadcasting System.
As a chamber musician, Michael has shared the stage with numerous acclaimed artists, such as Christoph Eschenbach, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Yefim Bronfman, Sarah Chang, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet and he has appeared at numerous music festivals, including the Prague Spring Music Festival and the New Hampshire Music Festival. As an orchestral musician, Michael served as Associate Concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
As a teacher, Michael has served as Adjunct Professor of Music (Violin) at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and Artist-in-Residence Professor of Violin at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University. Michael has led master classes at the Frost School of Music, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the New World Symphony, Drexel University, and the National Repertory Orchestra, amongst many other schools. Michael’s deep commitment as a teacher has been shaped by his studies with his father Irving Ludwig, who was a violinist in The Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as his studies with two of the great violin pedagogues of the 20th century, Josef Gingold and Raphael Bronstein.
An accomplished conductor, Michael has served as Music Director of the Roxborough Orchestra in Philadelphia since 2015. His guest conducting appearances include performances with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestra, Delaware County Symphony, and Lansdowne Symphony Orchestra. He also regularly appears as a guest conductor of the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia. Additionally, Michael has conducted numerous school orchestras, including the Skidmore College Orchestra, the All Catholic High School Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Luzerne Music Center String Orchestra. He has conducted the South Jersey Honors Orchestra, as well as the New Jersey All State Intermediate Orchestra. Ludwig studied conducting privately with Gustav Meier, and participated at workshops in Bulgaria, Ukraine, New York City, and South Carolina with Gustav Meier, Larry Rachleff, Donald Schleicher, Donald Portnoy, and Maurice Peress.
Michael and his wife Rachael Ludwig are the Founding Artistic Directors of the Stella Schaevitz Concert Series, based at the Katz JCC in Cherry Hill, NJ. Michael and his wife Rachael maintain a private teaching studio in Cherry Hill, teaching violin and viola lessons in studio as well as online.
Michael Ludwig is a Thomastic-Infeld artist.