Canadian violinist Robert Uchida has been hailed for his “ravishing sound, eloquence and hypnotic intensity” (Strings Magazine) and for his “virtuosic technique” (The Chronicle Herald). His performances as a soloist, chamber musician and concertmaster across North America and Europe have been received with great critical acclaim.

In 2006 Robert joined Symphony Nova Scotia as Concertmaster and has since performed as a soloist every year. Prior to joining Symphony Nova Scotia, Robert performed as Associate Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic in the Netherlands. In recent years he has been a featured soloist with several of Canada’s orchestras and has acted as Guest Concertmaster for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Radio Chamber Philharmonic of the Netherlands. He has worked as concertmaster with many of the world’s top conductors, including Valery Gergiev, Kurt Masur and Pinchas Zukerman.

Robert’s recital and chamber music performances have included prestigious venues in North America and Europe including the Lincoln Center (New York), Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam) and the Glenn Gould Studio (Toronto). He has been a guest violinist at a number of festivals and chamber music series across the country including the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the St. Cecilia Concert Series and the Brott Festival.

Of his recently recorded debut CD for Innova Records, featuring the premiere of the Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin by New York composer Andrew Violette, The Strad Magazine wrote: "Recording contemporary, unaccompanied violin music on this scale is no mean feat, and Robert Uchida throws himself at it, leaning into phrases and attacking long chains of double-stops with gusto. Uchida straddles the twin technical challenges of quick-fire ornamentation and chordal salvos admirably”.

An advocate of new music, Robert has worked with many prolific composers including John Corigliano and Richard Danielpour and has given the premieres of works by Augusta Read-Thomas, John Frantzen and Scott Wollschleger.

Robert has been the recipient of many prizes and awards, most notably the prestigious Hugo Kortschak Award from the Manhattan School of Music in New York and top prizes in the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition, the Canadian Music Competition and first prize in the National Arts Centre Orchestral Bursary Competition.

Currently, Robert is a member of the violin faculty at Acadia University and Artistic Director of the Acadia Summer Strings Festival. Between 2004 and 2007, Robert was on the violin and chamber music faculty of the Manhattan School of Music Precollege and has also served on the faculty of the National Arts Center’s Young Artists’ Program. He is frequently invited to give masterclasses at universities and conservatories across Canada.

Robert holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Ottawa and a Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. His teachers include Morry Kernerman, Patinka Kopec, Hratch Manoukian, David Stewart and Pinchas Zukerman.