Daniel Dodds

Daniel Dodds is a Professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, School of Music, Institute for Classical and Church Music, and serves as Artistic Director of the Festival Strings Lucerne. He has been concertmaster of the Festival Strings Lucerne since 2000 and performs globally as a soloist and chamber musician across Europe, North/South America, Asia, and Australia.

His educational background:

• Violin studies at Lucerne University of Music and Performing Arts under Prof. Gunars Larsens (teaching, concert, and soloist diplomas with distinction)
• Further studies at Utrecht Conservatory with Prof. Keiko Wataya
• Masterclasses with Piero Farulli, Rudolf Baumgartner, Franco Gulli, Nathan Milstein, and Thomas Zehetmair

Dodds' artistic expertise centers on violin performance, chamber music, and orchestral conducting. He is renowned for virtuosic technique and expressive interpretations in classical/romantic repertoire, performing works by Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and contemporary Swiss composers. His performances emphasize technical precision, emotional depth, and stylistic authenticity across diverse musical traditions.

His accolades include:

• Dorcas McClean Prize for Violin
• Queen Elisabeth Jubilee Trust Prize
• Mozart Prize of the City of Lucerne
• Migros Cooperative Association Scholarship
• Adelaide International Violin Competition
• Rudolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition
• Renata Molinari International Violin Competition
• Vaclav Huml International Violin Competition

As an educator, Dodds mentors young musicians through his university violin class and the Festival Strings Lucerne's Talent Week program. Under his artistic direction, the orchestra has expanded its repertoire to include diverse works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saëns, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Milhaud, Vasks, and Gubaidulina, performing at major international venues including Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie and Cremona's Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium.

He performs on the 1717 Stradivarius "ex Rudolf Baumgartner", on loan from the Festival Strings Lucerne foundation.