Charlie Siem

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Charlie Siem
Charlie Siem at Wigmore Hall, 2012
Charlie Siem at Wigmore Hall, 2012
Background information
Born14 January 1986 (1986-01-14) (age 35)
London, England
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Violinist and model
InstrumentsViolin
Years active2001–present
LabelsSony Music
Websitecharliesiem.com

Charles Maximilian Siem[1] (born 14 January 1986) is an English contemporary classical violinist and model.

Life and career[]

Charlie Siem was born in London, England, to Kristian Siem, a Norwegian businessman, and his South African-born wife.[1][2][3] He has three sisters, all involved in arts: musician and composer Sasha Siem,[4] visual artist and healing arts/yoga teacher Sophie Madeleine Siem,[5] and artist and model Louisa Tatiana Kristianne Siem.[6]

Siem began the study of violin at age three when his interest was piqued upon hearing the cassettes his mother used to play for her children. He went on to study at Eton College and Girton College, Cambridge, and continued his violin studies with Itzhak Rashkovsky and Shlomo Mintz. He performed his first concerto with an orchestra at age 15, and played with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at age 18.[7] He has gained recognition in the past few years by playing alongside artists such as The Who and Miley Cyrus. Among his fans include Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Siem also professionally models having been the face of Dunhill London and Hugo Boss.

Siem is distantly related to Norwegian violin virtuoso and composer Ole Bull.[8][better source needed]

He plays a violin made by Guarneri del Gesu from 1735, also known as "The d'Egville". The violin was previously owned by Yehudi Menuhin.[7]

A great believer in devoting time to worthwhile causes, Siem is an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.

Reviews[]

  • "Siem also had the deep heart and soul required to make the music sing, in a great romantic combination of drama, passion and tenderness."[9]
  • "Under the Stars" Album of the week on Classic FM "A very attractive selection of favourites, performed with the violinist's trademark grace and intimacy."[10]
  • In 2012 Siem has received negative criticism in The New York Times, " there was a dumbfounding gap between his retro suavity and the ineptitude of his playing (...) His intonation, passagework and tone were simply ugly".[11]
  • Gramophone, "Charlie Siem, allowing his tone to soar in a great arch, creates a memorable high-point."[12]
  • "These performances show that his music-making is more than capable of speaking for itself without any kind of special pleading." The Guardian[13]
  • "...Charlie Siem completely broke people's prejudices with his performance, proving himself through his music and demonstrating the charm of 'the most exciting young violinist in the contemporary music world' on the stage of Beijing Concert Hall. Charlie presented the Beijing audience with masterpieces and sonatas such as Violin Sonata No. 9 "Kreutzer" by Beethoven, Violin Sonata No. 3 by Grieg, Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate and more....His performance was a consummate display of skill. He captivated the audience with his extremely impressive playing, calm stage presence, handsome appearance and astonishing technique." [14]

Discography[]

Siem has released CDs through the years:

  • Charlie Siem – Elgar & Grieg (Sonatas for Violin and Piano) - - Challenge Classics
  • Charlie Siem – Violin Virtuoso - Warner Classics
  • Charlie Siem – Bruch, Wieniawski, Ole Bull – The London Symphony Orchestra – Andrew Gourlay - Warner Classics
  • Charlie Siem – Tony Banks: six pieces for orchestra - The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra - Martin Robertson - Paul Englishby - Naxos
  • Charlie Siem – Under The Stars – Münchner Rundfunkorchester – Paul Goodwin – Sony Classical
  • Charlie Siem – Midnight Garden - Paravox Records
  • Charlie Siem – Between the Clouds - Itamar Golan - Signum Classics

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ancestry® | Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records".
  2. ^ "Charlie Siem". Port-magazine.com.
  3. ^ "Celebs you didn't know had SA roots". Channel24.co.za. 26 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Sasha Siem". YouTube. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Sophie Siem (@sophiesiem) • Instagram photos and videos". Instagram.com. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Louisa Siem: Meet Art's contemporary alchemist" by John-Paul Pryor, Maslow's Mortimer House, 8 June 2018
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b "So Charlie Siem is Amazing". 19 July 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  8. ^ "About". Archived from the original on 21 October 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  9. ^ Superb opening of season by Albert Storace, The Times (Malta), 8 October 2014
  10. ^ John Suchet, Classic FM 22 September 2014
  11. ^ Woolfe, Zachary. "Impeccably Dressed, With His Violin at the Ready". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Elgar, Grieg". Gramophone: 66. August 2008.
  13. ^ Clements, Andrew (29 May 2008). "Music Elgar: Violin Sonata Op 82; Grieg: Violin Sonata Op 45 No 3; etc, Siem/ Korobeinikov". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  14. ^ Zhang, Yue (14 September 2016). "Classical Idol at Beijing Concert Hall". Cflac.org.cn.

External links[]

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