Paul Halberstadt

Paul Halberstadt is quickly establishing a versatile identity as an orchestral violinist, cross genre arranger, folk fiddler and an educator. He has frequently served as concertmaster with the Eastman Philharmonia, the Brevard Sinfonia, and the National Festival Orchestra at the National Orchestral Institute (NOI). At NOI, he led the orchestra in a critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated performance, recorded for the Naxos label, in which the Washington Post referred to him as “the really wonderful Concertmaster, Paul Halberstadt” whose playing was full of “energy and ardor”. Paul has performed with many professional ensembles including the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Glens Falls Symphony, the Symphoria Orchestra of Syracuse, and has won a Grammy award with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra for their new Album American Rapture, recorded for the Azica label.

As a soloist, Paul has participated in the Hudson Valley International String Competition, the Aspen Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and the Eastman Dvorak Violin Competition. He has collaborated with artists such as David Zinman and Joshua Bell in the 2019 Eastman Presents Series, as well as William Preucil in the 2018 Brevard Camerata. Paul has studied with many leading performers including Sheryl Staples, Jonathan Carney, William Preucil, Jennifer Ross, Eric Wyrick, Jessica Mathaes, and Bonnie Bewick. He has performed in masterclasses led by Ida Kavafian, Jaime Laredo, Zoya Leybin, Kimberly Kennedy, Jason Horowitz, and Paul Arnold.

Paul has served as Assistant Faculty at the Csehy Summer School of Music in a variety of capacity’s including as a violin teacher, sectional coach, and orchestra conductor intern. In 2019, he participated in the Aspen Festival Passes and Lesson Scholarship program (P.A.L.S.) for children who cannot afford lessons. 

Paul was born in Boston, Massachusetts and began violin at the age of four with the Suzuki method. He received his Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance under the tutelage of Juliana Athayde at the Eastman School of Music, where he was a recipient of the Kelly Zou Scholarship, the Sylvia L. Gilbert Memorial Scholarship and the Howard Hanson Scholarship. He is currently studying a dual Master’s degree in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy at the Cleveland Institute of Music.