VII International Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists
14-22 February 2025, Vilnius

Mario Hossen

| Austria - Bulgaria

Mario Hossen is an Austro-Bulgarian violinist, considered as one of the leading interpreters of Paganini’s music. He received his education in Sofia, Vienna and Paris, and had his debut as a soloist with orchestra at the age of eight. As a soloist of international acclaim, Mr. Hossen has performed with renowned orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Hailed for his incredible virtuosity and charismatic stage presence, he plays a repertoire all the way from Renaissance to Classical music, and to contemporary works and Jazz. Mario Hossen holds several prestigious awards, among them – Musician of the Year Award of the City of Sofia. The oldest Bulgarian music festival, the International Varna Summer Music Festival, dating back to 1926, under prof. Mario Hossen as artistic director was the European Festival Association (EFA), EFFE laureate for the 2019-2021 season, and the winner of the European Audience Award.

At the early age of three, he asked for a violin, being five years old he started to play piano, he began his violin studies in Plovdiv with his first teachers Atanas Batchvarov and Darina Dankova when he was six years old. He studied with Michael Frischenschlager at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, and with Gérard Poulet in Paris. When he was seventeen, Mario Hossen performed all of the 24 Paganini’s Capricci and Violin Concertos with the major Bulgarian orchestras. Since then, he has given concerts at prestigious international venues in more than a 40 countries.

Hossen has also participated in a number of non-classical productions with Jazz, Tango and Rock bands and ensembles. He dives deep into every piece, considering the musical historical context and going for the greatest possible authenticity. The complete oeuvre of Paganini for solo violin and for violin with orchestra, edited by Mario Hossen, is available as a historical-critical edition by Doblinger’s “Diletto Musicale” Music Series. Hossen is a prolific recording artist. Several acclaimed albums, which include world premieres of the most famous pieces by Paganini in their original, initial versions, were published by the leading Italian label Dynamic. The albums under Doron Music Switzerland and Dynamic have received international acclaim and were distributed worldwide by Naxos. In 2019, Mario Hossen accepted the proposal to record complete quartets and chamber music pieces by Paganini, and founded the Paganini Ensemble Vienna. As a conducting soloist, he leads the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in the concert series named “Concert Spirituel”.

Mario Hossen plays a G.B. Guadagnini’s violin (1749), which is loaned to him by the Austrian National Bank, and, exclusively, all of the concerts he performs on his preferred “Thomastik-Infeld” strings.