David Garrett is a classical violinist and former model. Garrett was born in Aachen, Germany. He played with the London Philharmonic as a child, and studied at Juilliard. He has been described as ‘the David Beckham of the classical scene’.
In December of 2007, Garrett fell after a performance at Barbican Hall in London, and smashed his 1772 Guidagnini violin, which he had purchased four years earlier for $1 million. “I had it over my shoulder in its case and I fell down a concrete flight of stairs backward,” Garrett said Thursday. “When I opened the case, much of my G.B. Guadagnini had been crushed.”
“I hope and pray that it can be fixed, but if it can’t, I hope my insurance policy will let me buy another great violin,” the 26-year-old musician said. He hopes to get it repaired in New York. The incident occurred more than six weeks ago but he waited until now to report it to British reporters. He was loaned a Stradivarius to play at a Valentine’s Day concert yesterday.
Garrett was a child prodigy. At age 10, he played as a soloist with the London Philharmonic. He supplemented his Juilliard education as a part time model.
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