JOSEPH PUGLIA, violin

Since making his Lincoln Center debut at age 14, violinist Joseph Puglia has been increasingly in demand as a soloist and chamber musician. His musical sincerity and virtuoso playing have led him to performances in major concert halls in the US and Europe, and prompted legendary cellist Anner Bylsma to say of his playing "Joey Puglia is the best." He was a prizewinner in the 58th Vriendenkranz Concours in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the 14th Concorso Internazionale "Andrea Postacchini" in Italy, where he was also given a special prize for his performance of Berio's Sequenza VIII for violin. Concerts in the 2007-08 season have included a performance of Bartok's Sonata for Solo Violin at the Bartok house in Budapest, which led to an offer to record a disc of chamber music for the Hungaroton label, as well as an immediate invitation to return. Other concerts have featured solo, recital, and chamber music performances in New York City, along the east coast of the US, as well as in Germany and The Netherlands.

Deeply committed to new music, Joe has recorded music by Sean Hickey for Naxos Records' "American Classics" series, and in the summer of 2006 he participated in both the Lucerne Festival and the Klangspuren Festival in Austria, where he worked with Pierre Boulez and members of the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Joe is also the newest member of the Asko Ensemble, having already performed numerous concerts with them as acting concertmaster in The Netherlands, as well as further tours in Belgium, and Spain. In 2005 he was selected to perform with Naumburg Award winner Carol Wincenc at Juilliard's Centennial Tribute to Peter Mennin in Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. He has performed on Juilliard's Focus! Festival, and was also a member of the New Juilliard Ensemble.

Joe is also an avid chamber musician, and as a founding member of the Acadia Chamber Ensemble, has helped to set up an annual chamber music festival in Maine which includes outreach concerts, coachings, and school workshops along with its series of concerts. He performs regularly in Europe as a member of Trio Dumas, whose upcoming performances include appearances in Germany, Hungary, and The Netherlands. He has performed in Juilliard's prestigious "Chamberfest" series, which was nationally televised, and in 2004 was invited to give a series of chamber music concerts at the Festival dei due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy. As a member of the Knights Ensemble he has also performed and given a masterclass as part of the "Artist in Residence" program at Long Island University's C.W. Post Campus.

Joe has participated in numerous international music festivals including the Lucerne, Spoleto, Kneisel Hall, Klangspuren, California Summer Music, and Weathersfield festivals, and the Amsterdam Cello Biennale. He has played in coachings and masterclasses led by Anner Bylsma, Pierre Boulez, Bernard Greenhouse, Joseph Kalichstein, Joel Krosnick, Seymour Lipkin, and Arnold Steinhardt, among others.

A native of New York City, Joe began the violin at age 4 and was accepted to Juilliard's Pre-College division in 1994 where he studied with Louise Behrend. In 2002, he was accepted to The Juilliard School's college division with a full scholarship where he earned his Bachelor's degree studying under Robert and Nicholas Mann, and recieved his Master of Music degree at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands, working with Vera Beths.