Margaret Batjer

Margaret Batjer, concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since 1998, is also renowned as a violin soloist, chamber musician, and educator.  Since her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1974, she has performed with leading orchestras from around the world including the Philadelphia, St, Louis, Dallas Symphonies, the Prague, Halle, Berlin Symphony Orchestras, and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.  She was a longtime participant of the Marlboro Music Festival, as well as many other festivals in the U.S. and throughout Europe. Batjer has often performed with such luminaries as Maurizio Pollini, Yo Yo Ma, Salvatore Accardo, Hillary Hahn, and Jeffrey Kahane and has recorded extensively for the Philips, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon and BMG labels.

Ms. Batjer graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music as a student of Ivan Galamian and David Cerone. Throughout her career, she has won numerous prizes including the G.B. Dealey Award in Dallas.

In 2009, Ms. Batjer inaugurated a new series, Westside Connections, under the umbrella of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She is the curater of this acclaimed series which pairs great works of chamber music with guest speakers from other artistic disciplines. Ms. Batjer is on the violin faculty of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and the Colburn School Academy of Music.