Callum Smart

Violin

Critically acclaimed violinist Callum Smart enjoys an international reputation as a performer, pedagogue, and innovator. He is celebrated for the sincerity of his singing line, combining ‘a winning sense of natural authority’ (the Strad) with his ‘utterly convincing’ interpretations (BBC Music Magazine).

Smart has performed a wide range of concerti with major orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra, and more, in collaboration with conductors such as Vasily Petrenko, John Wilson, and Grant Llewellyn. As a recitalist, Smart performs duo and trio recitals on the world’s leading stages including Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Auditorium du Louvre, as well as a number of European festivals including the Cheltenham Festival, Dvorak Festival, Menuhin Festival, Mecklenburg Vorpommern and the Malmo International String Festival. Now with 3 recital discs to his name, Smart’s most recent album, ‘Transatlantic’, reached the top 30 in the UK’s classical charts and earned Smart features as Classic FM and Scala Artist of the Week.

This season’s highlights include a world premiere at the Archipel Festival (Geneva, Switzerland), a play-directing project with the Indiana University Orchestra, Brahms, Saint Saens, Shostakovich, and Elgar concerti performances across the UK and US, and recital collaborations with Ben Goldscheider (horn) and Richard Uttley (piano). Smart also continues ‘Classical Shuffle’, an interactive community recital series in partnership with Age UK with funding from the Arts Council England.

Smart is an Assistant Professor of Violin at Carnegie Mellon University, following 6 years as Professor of Violin at the Royal Northern College of Music. He also maintains faculty positions at Orford Musique, the Benedetti Foundation, and Music Masters, and is a regular guest at universities across the globe including the Royal College of Music, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and Shenzhen Conservatory, among others.

Building on his reputation as a prominent violin soloist and celebrated pedagogue, Smart also enjoys wide media coverage and a significant online following. In keeping with his mission to make quality violin education available to all, he built an Instagram community of 60K+ followers where he shares violin tutorials. In 2024, he launched Caidence: the world’s first AI practice companion to support violinists in their musical journeys. Caidence attracted users from 25+ countries across 5 continents within 3 days of its release and earned Callum a nomination for 2025 Digital Ambassador in the Digital Culture Awards. Recognized as a forward thinker in the industry, Smart has been featured in The Strad, The Violin Channel, BBC Music Magazine, Interlude, Mind Over Finger, Crushing Classical, amongst others, and has served as a brand ambassador for D’Addario, Henle, IMSLP, and more.

Smart studied with Maciej Rakowski at Chetham’s School of Music before earning an Artist Diploma from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with Mauricio Fuks. He then earned an International Artist Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music, with Ana Chumachenco and Noah Bendix-Bagley. He was the winner of the BBC Young Musician strings category and the top European prize-winner at the Menuhin Competition in 2010.

Edward Leonard 

Conductor

Edward Leonard has established an outstanding reputation for his versatility and

interpretation of an extensive repertoire. As founder and Music Director of The

Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, he has led the organization to substantial artistic

growth since its creation in 2014. His comfort in diverse repertoire results in a

conducting prowess and artistic command that spans the centuries.