Violinist and violist Judith Ingolfsson is celebrated worldwide for her commanding artistry, musical depth, and versatile repertoire. The New York Times has praised her playing for combining "fireworks and a singing tone". A native of Reykjavík, Iceland, she achieved international prominence after winning the Gold Medal at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (1998), alongside top prizes at the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa and the Concert Artists Guild Competition in New York. In August 2024, she was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture in recognition of her contributions to the enrichment of French cultural heritage.
As a soloist, Ms. Ingolfsson has performed with leading orchestras across the globe, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Tokyo, and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine in Kyiv (performing the Beethoven Violin Concerto in May 2026). Her recital and concerto appearances have brought her to major venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Konzerthaus Berlin, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. A dedicated chamber musician, she collaborates actively on both violin and viola, performing with ensembles such as the Avalon, Miami, and Vogler quartets, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two. A central pillar of her chamber music career is the Duo Ingolfsson-Stoupel, formed with pianist Vladimir Stoupel, with whom she tours internationally and has produced a prolific discography.
Ms. Ingolfsson completed her studies at the Curtis Institute of Music under Jascha Brodsky, followed by a Master of Music, an Artist Diploma, and Professional Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music under David Cerone and Donald Weilerstein. Enriched by the mentorship of Joseph Gingold, her lineage connects directly to the Franco-Belgian violin school of Eugène Ysaÿe and Lucien Capet. This heritage forms the bedrock of her artistic research, which examines the evolution of Franco-Belgian performance practice, The Rebecca Clarke Project (championing Clarke's repertoire and alternating between violin and viola in recital), and the Erdmann-Schnabel Solo Sonata Project. Arising from her research into historical violinist Alma Moodie, Ms. Ingolfsson revived Eduard Erdmann’s Solo Sonata Op. 12 in modern performance and stands as the only woman to have publicly performed and recorded Artur Schnabel’s monumental 45-minute Solo Violin Sonata.
Her discography of 14 acclaimed albums features releases on labels including GENUIN, OehmsClassics, Accentus Music, cpo, and audite. Notable recordings include the complete Eugène Ysaÿe Solo Sonatas Op. 27, the three-volume Concert Centenaire series (awarded the Label Centenaire in Paris), La Belle Époque (nominated for the Opus Klassik), and solo sonatas by Schnabel and Erdmann (Supersonic Award from Pizzicato). Her recordings have regularly received nominations for the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) and the German Record Critics' Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik).
An internationally sought-after pedagogue, Ms. Ingolfsson serves as Professor of Violin at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She previously held a tenured W-3 professorship at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart (HMDK Stuttgart) from 2008 to 2019, where she also served as interim Chair of the String Department, and taught at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dedicated to youth talent development, she serves on the faculties of the Swedish National Center for Music Talents (YOMA & Polstjärnepriset), the Washington Musical Pathways Initiative, and leading summer academies such as Heifetz, Astona, and Valdres. She is also the founder and director of the Last Rose of Summer Academy in Berlin, co-artistic director of the Festival The Last Rose of Summer (Berlin), and co-artistic director of the Festival & Academy Aigues-Vives en Musiques in France.
Judith Ingolfsson plays a Lorenzo Guadagnini violin (Piacenza, c. 1750) and a viola crafted by Yair Hod Fainas (2015).
