1. When Garrett was four years old his father purchased a violin for his older brother.
16 Facts About David Garrett
1. 2.
The young David Garrett took an interest and soon learned to play.
3.
When he was nine years old he gave his debut at the Festival Kissinger Sommer, and by the age of 12, David Garrett began working with the distinguished Polish violinist Ida Haendel, often traveling to London and other European cities to meet her.
4.
David Garrett attended the Keshet Eilon Masterclasses in Israel in the summers of 1997,1998,1999, and 2002.
5.
David Garrett received his first Stradivarius violin at the age of 11, courtesy of German president Richard von Weizsacker, after having performed for him.
6.
At the age of 13, David Garrett recorded two CDs, appeared on German and Dutch television, and gave a concert in the residence of the President of Germany, the Villa Hammerschmidt.
7.
David Garrett eventually purchased his own, made in 1772 by Giovanni Guadagnini, a student of Stradivari.
8.
At the age of 13, as the youngest soloist ever, David Garrett signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon.
9.
Two years later, David Garrett played with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, and was hailed by critics.
10.
David Garrett appeared at the Royal Variety Performance on 5 December 2011, playing his cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
11.
David Garrett joined the 9th annual Independent Music Awards judging panel to assist independent musicians' careers.
12.
David Garrett played the lead role in the 2013 film The Devil's Violinist, as the noted 19th-century violinist Niccolo Paganini.
13.
On 18 August 2017, David Garrett released the single "Bittersweet Symphony" as a teaser for his album Rock Revolution, released 17 September 2017.
14.
On 11 October 2020, David Garrett performed the German national anthem at the Formula 1 2020 Eifel Grand Prix as part of the opening ceremonies.
15.
David Garrett was born in Aachen to an American prima ballerina, Dove David Garrett, and a German jurist, Georg Bongartz.
16.
David Garrett explains that while he was performing as a child prodigy, his parents started using his mother's maiden name as his stage name.