New Concertmaster: Adelya Nartadjieva

The Jacksonville Symphony Names Internationally Acclaimed Violinist Adelya Nartadjieva Concertmaster

Jacksonville, FL: The Jacksonville Symphony is delighted to announce Adelya Nartadjieva as its new concertmaster beginning with the 2022/23 season.

Most recently, Nartadjieva has performed at Carnegie Hall, Seoul Arts Center and ElbPhilharmonie. She has won international competitions in Singapore, United States, Greece, Russia, and Uzbekistan; most recently being awarded first prize at the Woolsey Concerto Competition at Yale, Gershwin International Competition, and the Broadus Erle Prize from the Yale School of Music.

Performance and Leadership

“Adelya is a first-rate violinist with a beautiful sound. She’s played with many of the world’s finest conductors and will bring skill to the Jacksonville Symphony in spades,” according to Jacksonville Symphony Music Director Courtney Lewis. “She also did something amazing during her trial weeks here: created consensus between the orchestra, the search committee and me! I’m very excited about having her join us, especially after such a long search.”

Nartadjieva will play an integral role in the Symphony as a concertmaster. Among her many areas of leadership, she will be communicating the music director’s ideas to the Symphony’s various ensembles, prescribing the bowings to the first violin section, and performing solo passages when a guest artist is not present. Before a performance, audiences will also see her leading the Symphony in tuning.

“I am so delighted to be joining the Jacksonville Symphony family for next season and the years to come. It is an honor to be part of such a vibrant and warm artistic atmosphere. I can’t wait to make music together and share it with the community,” says Nartadjieva.

Nartadjieva has been heralded by The Straits Times as “outstanding enough to grace the stages of the world’s great orchestras” with “a full and gorgeous tone” and technical skills that can “overcome with an ease and aplomb…as natural as breathing.”

“…a first-rate violinist with a beautiful sound. ”

-Courtney Lewis, Music Director

Previous Positions and Experience

Nartadjieva has held the position of acting-concertmaster for numerous other orchestras such as the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Orchestra, the Yale Philharmonia and currently serves as co-concertmaster of Symphony in C. Most recently, she was a guest associate concertmaster for the Experiential Orchestra’s recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison,” which won the Grammy Award in 2021.

She is not just a violinist, however, but also exhibits versatility as an artistic director and educator, teaching for Carnegie Hall in several New York City schools. She is also the co-founder of Chime for Children, an organization that aims to inspire children with limited access to music through interactive performances.

Nartadjieva began her journey as a violinist in her native country of Uzbekistan at six years old. Her first solo concert was with the Chamber Orchestra of Uzbekistan and occurred only nine months after she started her classical training. Her talent and love for music took her to the Yale School of Music, where she graduated with a master’s degree. She also went on to the Manhattan School of Music and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore, earning a first-class Honors Degree and a Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal.

The Jacksonville Symphony is honored to present Adelya Nartadjieva to the Jacksonville community and to work in partnership to enrich lives through symphonic music.

Conclusion Of A Long Search

As The Jacksonville Symphony announces the start of a new concertmaster, the long search comes to a close. Beginning in the Fall of 2017, under the direction of Courtney Lewis, Music Director, The Jacksonville Symphony has been without a tenured concertmaster. During this time, Melissa Barrett (Violin) has served the orchestra as the Acting Concertmaster. The Jacksonville Symphony is grateful to have had Melissa in this role, serving the orchestra during a lengthy pursuit of a new concertmaster. Melissa will remain a valued member of the orchestra when Adelya begins in the 2022/23 season and audiences will still see her on stage performing each week.

Learn More

To learn more about Adelya Nartadjieva, visit her webpage or view the original press release. The Jacksonville Symphony is North Florida’s leading music nonprofit offering live performances at Jacoby Symphony Hall in the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts and other venues throughout the area. In addition, the Symphony provides music instruction for youth and operates the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras. For more information about the Symphony, visit JaxSymphony.org, like them at facebook.com/JaxSymphony; follow them on Instagram @jaxsymphony and on YouTube at JacksonvilleSymphony.