Martin Chalifour began his tenure as Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the 1995/96 season. His previous positions have included Acting Concertmaster and Associate Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1990 to 1995, and Associate Concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from 1984 to 1990.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Chalifour began playing violin at the age of four with the Suzuki Method. The recipient of various grants and awards in Canada, Chalifour graduated with honors from the Montreal Conservatory at the age of 18, where he studied with Taras Gabora. He then moved to Philadelphia to pursue his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music with Jascha Brodsky and David Cerone. In 1986, he received a Certificate of Honor at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and he was the laureate of the Montreal International Competition the following year.
Chalifour appears frequently as soloist and in recital and has toured with chamber ensembles throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. He has been a concerto soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Toulouse Capitole Orchestra, among others. He participates in a number of summer music festivals, including the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego and the Sarasota Music Festival.
Each season since 1996, he has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Music Center and the Hollywood Bowl. Chalifour made his East Coast concerto debut with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in March of 1998, performing the Bernstein Serenade in Avery Fisher Hall, after a series of performances of the work in Los Angeles. In February 2002, he gave the West Coast premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina's Offertorium with Alan Gilbert conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Last month, he performed Corigliano's Red Violin Concerto with the Malaysian Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur.
