Praised for playing of ‘compelling conviction’ (The Daily Telegraph) and performances ‘full of sparkling detail, with tonal beauty and incisive rhythmic clarity, balancing wit and poetry’ (The Strad).
Michael Foyle launched his career by winning The Netherlands Violin Competition in 2016. His performance of Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No.1 with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra led to an immediate invitation to give his debut recital in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
His London debut followed with a recital at the Wigmore Hall (‘superlative’ – Seen and Heard International) and since then he has performed recitals in the UK’s most prestigious venues, including Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Buckingham Palace, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Bridgewater Hall and Usher Hall, regularly being broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
In 2018 he released his debut disc, a World War One centenary recital of Debussy, Janacek and Respighi Sonatas (‘vividly and beautifully conceived and executed – BBC Music Magazine, ‘richly detailed and impassioned performances’ - The Daily Telegraph, ‘a dream debut, 10/10’ – Luister, ’an extraordinary release, played phenomenally’ – Stretto). Current recording projects include the complete Beethoven Sonatas and the complete duo works of Lutoslawski and Penderecki.
Recent concerto appearances have been with the English Chamber Orchestra at Cadogan Hall (Prokofiev No.1), the Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdansk (Elgar), Nikolayev Symphony Orchestra of Russia in Great Hall and House of Music in Moscow (Mendelssohn and Brahms) and a return to the Rotterdam Philharmonic (Korngold). He gives recitals at important festivals worldwide, including St. Magnus International Festival, New York Chamber Music Festival, Grachtenfestival Amsterdam, Cervantino Festival (Mexico) and Evgeny Mravinsky Festival (St. Petersburg).
Michael has performed solo and chamber works by over thirty living composers, while invitations to perform as Guest-Concertmaster with orchestras such as BBC Symphony and The Halle have seen him working with conductors including Semyon Bychkov, Mark Elder, Oliver Knussen, Sakari Oramo and Vasily Petrenko.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and Vienna Konservatorium with Maureen Smith and Pavel Vernikov, alongside masterclasses with Maxim Vengerov, during which time he won the Royal Overseas League String Competition and many other prizes.
He plays a Gennaro Gagliano violin (1750) on loan.