Philippe Koch – Violinist
With a warm tone and a playing style of rare depth, Philippe Koch is acclaimed by critics as a performer who combines technical mastery with great musical sensitivity. He continues to shine in his art and inspire future generations through his dedication and excellence.
A descendant of the prestigious Liège violin school, P. Koch is the third generation of the Koch family to serve as a professor at the Royal Conservatory of Liège. He completed his musical studies there, earning Superior Diplomas in violin and chamber music with the highest distinction. He is the recipient of the Parent Prize and the Charlier Prize. He further honed his skills with masters such as C. Ferras, P. Amoyal (France), and A. Grumiaux, with whom he studied for six years.
As the First Concertmaster of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra for 38 years, he has also pursued a solo career across Europe, the United States, North Africa, Canada, South America, Korea, and Japan, where he performs annually, including at the Imperial Palace.
His international solo career has enabled him to perform with numerous orchestras and work with renowned conductors, such as Y. Ahronovich, P. Davin, C. Davis, A. Dmitriev, L. de Froment, L. Hager, P. Jaarvi, E. Krivine, S. Lang-Lessing, L. Langrée, K. Min, G. Octors, D. Reiland, D. Shallon, M. Stern, P. Strauss, M. Tabachnik, B. Tovey, A. Vandernoot, R. Zollman, and G. Gimeno.
He has performed in Seoul with the Korean Chamber Orchestra and interpreted Vieuxtemps’ works with the National Orchestra of Algiers at the closing concert of the Algiers Festival, as well as Korngold’s concerto, adding to the 30 concertos already in his repertoire. Other concerts have taken him to Japan, Spain, Zagreb, and Dublin. He has also performed Beethoven’s concerto at the Henri Vieuxtemps Competition, Mozart’s A Major concerto at the Summer Mosan Festival, and Piazzolla’s Four Seasons—both as soloist and conductor—at the Luxembourg Philharmonic. His solo repertoire includes 35 concertos ranging from Bach to Korngold, as well as works by Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvořák, Khachaturian, Piazzolla, and Bruch (Scottish Fantasy and concerto).
Driven by a passion for exploring the richness of chamber music, Philippe Koch has embraced its diversity through groups such as the Trio Grumiaux, which he founded with L. Dewez (cello) and L. Devos (piano). He also played as first violin for 25 years with the Brussel String Quartet (with T. Shida, Yves Cortvrindt, and Luc Dewez) and with the Louvigny Quartet (with I. Schneider, S. Kramouchin, and F. Perdicchizzi).
Additionally, he established the Trio Koch with his daughter Laurence Koch (violin) and son Jean-Philippe Koch (piano). This ensemble has recorded multiple CDs and performed worldwide, including at the Berlin Philharmonic, in Paris, London, Dublin, Tokyo, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain, participating in numerous prestigious festivals. The Trio was honored as “Export Artist Luxemburg” and was chosen by the Grand Ducal Court to represent Luxembourg during an official visit to the Imperial Court of Japan. One of their recordings was nominated for the Classical Awards.
Philippe also collaborates with other musicians, including D. Blumenthal, G. Caussé, R. Cohen, A. R. El Bacha, M. Grauwels, F. Springuel, A. Froidebise, P. Gililov, M. Kliegel, A. Marion, A. Müllenbach, F. Moguilevsky, I. Monighetti, K. Ono, F. Orval, J.C. Vanden Eyden, and S. Wieder-Atherton.
Actively involved in contemporary music, P. Koch regularly participates in festivals dedicated to this genre and has premiered numerous contemporary works, including pieces by Bolens and Almada in Switzerland, Wengler in Luxembourg, and Van Rossum and Fayt in Belgium.
Deeply interested in violin pedagogy, he has been a Professor of Violin at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Liège for 37 years and frequently conducts masterclasses in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Japan, Korea, and South America. Recently, he was invited to share his expertise with students from three Chinese universities in different regions.
He has made numerous radio recordings in Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland, France, Chile, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Quebec. Many of his discographic recordings (35 CDs) have received prestigious accolades in the international press, such as the “Diapason d’Or” (twice in Diapason), “Choc” (Magazine de la Musique), “Recommended” (Répertoire and Classica), “Supersonic” (Pizzicato), and four stars in Monde de la Musique.
A lifelong passion for conducting has led Philippe to direct various instrumental ensembles since the age of 18. He currently leads the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Luxembourg Conservatory and has conducted orchestras such as the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra in diverse programs ranging from Bach to Beethoven.
A frequent jury member in international competitions (e.g., H. Vieuxtemps, E. Ysaye, A. Grumiaux, and H. Koch competitions), he has twice served as a jury member for the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in Brussels. He is also Honorary President of the Arthur Grumiaux Foundation, Honorary President of the H. Vieuxtemps Competition, and President of the Jury for the Ysaye Competition.
One of his greatest prides is the success of his former students, many of whom have become violinists in renowned orchestras (in Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Chile, Germany, France, Japan, and Italy) or violin professors at esteemed conservatories across Europe, Asia, and South America.
Philippe Koch has been knighted with the Civil and Military Order of Nassau by His Royal Highness Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg and is an Officer of the Order of Leopold in Belgium.
With a warm tone and playing of rare depth, he is celebrated by critics as a performer combining technical mastery and profound musical sensitivity. He continues to shine in his art and inspire future generations through his dedication and excellence.