Gordan Nikolitch, also spelled Gordan Nikolić, (; born 1968) is a Franco-Serbian

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

ist. He was the first concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra for nearly 20 years, having stepped down in October 2017 to concentrate on directing and teaching.

Biography and career

Born in a music loving family, Gordan Nikolitch began playing the violin when he was seven. He studied at the

music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger i ...

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, Switzerland, with Jean-Jacques Kantorow. He also met and worked with Walter Levin, Wytold Lutoslavsky, György Kurtág,

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large List of compositions by Hans Werner Henze, oeuvre is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Mu ...

etc, cultivating an interest in contemporary music. As a violinist, he participated and was awarded in many competitions, the Tibor Varga competition, Paganini competition at

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, Italy,

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

and Vaclav Hummel competition at

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. In 1989, he became concertmaster of Orchestre d'Auvergne, a post he held until 1999. Nikolitch has been as well the leader of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Prince consort professor at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

in London, giving masterclasses at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

, he also teaches Master since 2005 at the CODARTS, Rotterdam Conservatory of Music and since 2017 he is Professor at the Hochschule für Musik Saarbrücken. Since September 2021, he is appointed as a violin teacher at Paris Conservatoire CNSMdP. In 2004 he was named

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

of the

Netherlands Chamber Orchestra The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (NKO; Dutch, ''Nederlands Kamerorkest'') is a Dutch chamber orchestra based in Amsterdam. The NKO is part of the ''Stichting Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest'' (Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation), al ...

, Amsterdam, a group created in the 1950es by

Szymon Goldberg Szymon Goldberg (1 June 1909 – 19 July 1993) was a Polish-born Jewish classical violinist and conductor, latterly an American. Born in Włocławek, Congress Poland, Goldberg played the violin as a child growing up in Warsaw. His first teacher ...

, the concertmaster of the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

from the times of their conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler. It was more than natural to take the same approach of directing from the concertmaster position and the hundreds of concerts played in the Concertgebouw Amsterdam have been oriented towards the most flexible interaction of all musicians involved. Playing in the hall of the Royal Concertgebouw with this group of motivated musicians became a constant source of inspiration that helps greatly define the (ever moving) platform of ideas on music making. 2006-2011 he was Musical Director of St George Strings, an orchestra based in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, Serbia. Since 2007 Musical Director of BandArt orchestra with among others performances of operas Gluck’s Orpheo, and Mozart’s Idomeneo, in festivals of Peralada, Ludwigsbourg, Luzern. The latest collaboration with OSCyL featured on the programme the Schubert “Unfinished” and Bruckner 9 symphonies. Nikolitch shares his experience by directing many other orchestras, among them Orquesta Nacional d'España, Orquesta d'opera Madrid, Orchestre National D'Île de France, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de chambre de Geneve, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Australian Chamber Orchestra,

Manchester Camerata The Manchester Camerata is a British chamber orchestra based in Manchester, England. A sub-group from the orchestra, the Manchester Camerata Ensemble, specialises in chamber music performances. The orchestra's primary concert venue is The Bridg ...

, Radio Simfonijski orkestar Slovenija, OSCyL etc. He plays violins by Paul Belin fecit anno 2016 and a Petrus Guarnerius Venice offered graciously to use by a generous sponsor, bows by F.X. Tourte and J.P.M. Persoit, having in the past played violins by Giuseppe Guarneri, Gaspare Lorenzini, Matteo Goffriler and Lorenzo Storioni.

A list of records (non exhaustive)

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

. Piano Concertos Nos. 15 & 27. Martin Helmchen, Gordan Nikolić,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186508 (2013) *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

. Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5. Gordan Nikolić,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186340 (2009) *

. Serenade in D, KV250 "Haffner". Gordan Nikolić ,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186097 (2008) *

. Piano Concertos Nos. 13 & 24. Gordan Nikolić, Martin Helmchen,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186305 (2007) *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

. Symphony No. 100 "Military" & Sinfonia Concertante & L'isola Disabitata. Gordan Nikolić, Herre-Jan Stegenga, Toon Durville, Margreet Bongers,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186300 (2007) *

. Sinfonia concertante K.364 & Rondo for Violin and Orchestra K.373 & Concertone K.190. Yakov Kreizberg, Julia Fischer, Gordan Nikolić, Hans Meyer, Herre-Jan Stegenga,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186098 (2007) *

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

, Karl Amadeus Hartmann. Various works. Gordan Nikolić,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186056 (2005) *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

. Symphonies Nos.1-4; Double Concerto; Serenade No.2.

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lond ...

, Timothy Hugh, London Symphony Orchestra. LSO Live Rel. 4 Oct 2005 Recorded 2003–2004 * Gounod Charles symphonies Gordan Nikolić, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra TACET (record label) * Mozart Haffner and Linzner Symphonies, Gordan Nikolic, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra TACET (record label) * Mozart violin concerto no.5, Noa Wildschut, dir Nikolić, Warner Classics (record label) * Martinson Rolf various works Lisa Larsson soprano, Gordan Nikolić, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra * Beethoven violin concerto piano version Dejan Lazić, dir Nikolić, Onyx Classics (record label) * Beethoven Triple concerto LSO, Haitink, Vogt, Hugh, Nikolić, LSO LIVE (record label) * Schumann piano chamber music, Eric le Sage and friends, ALPHA (record label) * Mozart Violin Concertos 1 & 5, KV 207 and 219, Nikolić, TACET (record label) * Mozart Sinfonia Concertante KV364 and g-minor Symphony KV550, Nikolić, Wolfe, TACET (record label) * Mozart Symphonies 39 and Jupiter, KV543 and KV551, Nikolić, TACET (record label)

References

*
Biography at Razumovsky Ensemble

External links

*
Faculty page at the Royal College of Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikolitch, Gordan Serbian classical violinists Male classical violinists Living people 1968 births Leaders of the London Symphony Orchestra 21st-century classical violinists