Priya Mitchell grew up in Oxford and studied with David Takeno at the Yehudi Menuhin School and with Zachar Bron in Germany. She was then chosen as the British representative of the European Concert Halls Organisation ‘Rising Stars‘ Series, this success led to highly acclaimed tours and performances with, amongst others, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Philharmonia.
She has worked with many eminent conductors including Sir Andrew Davis, Yuri Temirkanov, Richard Hickcox, Emmanuel Krivine, Heinrich Schiff and Yan Pascal Tortelier. Abroad, Priya has worked with many orchestras including the Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic, Sinfonia Varsovia, the Polish Chamber Orchestra, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Deutsche Sinfonie-Orchester. As a recitalist and chamber musician she has performed extensively at international music festivals including Schleswig-Holstein, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Kuhmo, Lockenhaus, Risør, Heimbach, Ravinia, Lugano, Cheltenham, Bath, Stavanger and Trondheim.
This year sees the 20th anniversary of Priya’s highly acclaimed Oxford Chamber Music Festival with the Latvian composer Peteris Vasks in residence. Her artistic directorship of this unusual and much acclaimed festival inspired The Daily Telegraph to call it ‚a musical miracle.‘
In the current season Priya performs Mendelssohn Violin Concerto D minor in Stockholm, Philip Glass violin concerto also in Stockholm, Schumann Concerto in Düsseldorf, Mozart Concertos in Munich and Piazzolla’s Four seasons in Mecklenburg Vorpommern festival. She will also return to the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival and many others.
‘PRIYA MITCHELL IS ONE OF THE FOREMOST VIOLINISTS OF HER GENERATION. THIS IS NOT SO MUCH BECAUSE OF HER IMPRESSIVE ARRAY OF TECHNICAL SKILLS, OR EVEN HER UNFAILING ABILITY TO FIND THE APPROPRIATE STYLE FOR EACH WORK. RATHER, IT’S THE INTENSE HIGH-PROFILE CHARACTERISATION SHE GIVES TO EACH PHRASE SHE PLAYS, COMBINED WITH QUALITIES OF COLOUR AND VIVIDNESS, EXCITEMENT AND PASSION WHICH MAKES HER PLAYING SO MEMORABLE.’
THE STRAD