Biography
1st prize winner of the 2022 Carl Nielsen International Competition and recipient of the 2022 Usedom Prize, Hans Christian Aavik "combines a probing intellect and curiosity with an extroverted charisma that has made him one of Europe’s most exciting young talents.” (Bachtrack.com).
Following his success at the Carl Nielsen Competition - which additionally included Prize for Best Interpretation and the Odense Symphony Orchestra Prize - Hans Christian has been invited to return to Denmark to record his first orchestral album on Orchid Classics. His debut album “AETERNUS” with pianist Karolina Aavik, was released in 2021 at the Arvo Pärt Centre in Tallinn, featuring works by Bach, Schubert and Pärt.
Already well established as a soloist at home in Estonia, Hans Christian Aavik made his solo debut at the 2022 Pärnu Music Festival and performs regularly with orchestras including the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. Internationally he has performed with the Copenhagen Philharmonic and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. In 2022 he was awarded the Annual Award of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and received additionally the “Musician of the year” title by Association of Estonian Professional Musicians.
In the season 2023/24 he has been invited to perform as a soloist and chamber musician in Germany, Israel, France, Estonia and Sweden.
Born in Tallinn in 1998, Hans Christian started his violin studies at the age of five. in 2017 he moved to Germany to study at the Frankfurt Music Academy of Music and Arts under the tutelage of Prof. Erik Schumann and chamber music with Prof. Angelika Merkle. In 2021 he studied alongside at the Music and Arts Private University of Vienna with Julian Rachlin and chamber music with Prof. Evgeny Sinaiski.
As of October 2022 Hans Christian Aavik is studying as a young soloist at Kronberg Academy with Erik Schumann. These studies are funded by the Dr Ratjen-Patronat.
He has benefited from additional guidance from Christoph Eschenbach, Kirill Gerstein, Steven Isserlis, Sophia Rahman, Antoine Tamestit, Gerhard Schulz, prof. Kolja Blacher, Mi-Kyung Lee and has worked with conductors such as Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Olari Elts, Ville Matvejeff, Risto Joost, Arvo Volmer and many others...
Additional achievements include 1st Prize at the “Cadenza contest” (2021 / Soloist Category), Làszlò Spezzaferri International Music Competition (2021), Estonian String Players Competition (2020), Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt am Main Chamber Music Competition (2020/laureate and a special prize), Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition, Finland (2020/diploma with pianist Karolina Žukova).
Since 2021 Hans Christian Aavik has been a recipient of the Deutschlandstipendium and since 2019, he has been supported by Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Frankfurt am Main e.V.
On the generous permission of the Estonian Instrument Foundation and the Sapožnin family, Hans Christian Aavik currently plays on a Giovanni Paolo Maggini violin (made ca 1610 in Brescia, Italy) and on bow made by Victor Fétique (made ca 1930 in France).