Eliot Lawson

“You are a wonderful violinist and a very fine musician” Lorin Maazel Born in Brussels, Eliot Lawson is of Belgian and Luso-American nationality. He studied the violin with L. Souroujon, J. Van Aken, H. Krebbers, I. Oistrakh, J.J. Kantorow, P. Vernikov, N. Shkolnikova and I. Grubert. The titular holder of a Master’s degree in Music, awarded “with greatest distinction” by the conservatories of Brussels and Rotterdam, he also obtained the “Artist Diploma” of Indiana University in Bloomington and a “Perfezionamente” diploma from the Fiesole Music School in Italy. He obtained his PHD degree with distinction in music performance and musicology at the Evora University in October 2020.
A laureate and finalist of several national and international competitions (including Brahms, de Beriot, Premio Jovens Musicos, Mozart, Proce Vitate, Vieuxtemps, Maasmond, Lantier, Krebbers, Premio Vittorio Gui semi-finals, Tibor Varga semi-finals, Cardona competitions), Eliot has given many concerts in Europe and the United States, appearing on numerous important stages and invited by the radio and television in Portugal, Holland and in Belgium. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras such as the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, the Sofia Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the University of Minho, Baskent University Orchestra (Ankara), the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonie, Porto Symphony Orchestra, the Simfonieorkest van Vlaanderen, the Belgian National Orchestra, The Bonn Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Musica (Lille), Les Symphonistes Européens, The Orchestra of the Gulbenkian Foundation, The Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong
Youth orchestra, Orchestra das Beiras, in halls such as Carnegie Hall, the Singel, the Doelen, Bozar, Théatre des Varietés, Theatre Sebastopol, Concertgebouw Brugge, Elisabeth hall, Centro Cultural de Belem, Teatro Circo, Villa Flor Concerthall, Concertgebouw Tilburg. He performed during festivals such as Festival van Vlaanderen, Ars Musica, Festival de Wallonie, Festival de Bretagne, Festival Tibor Varga, Festival Roussel, Brugge 2002 and Guimaraes 2012 Cultural Capital of Europe and played the opening concerts of halls specialized in new music such as AMUZ and Les Brigitinnes and the Liege train station.
He teaches violin at the conservatory of Amsterdam, the University of Minho and the conservatory of Mons. He is regularly invited to give masterclasses in Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Hong Kong and the United States. He recorded many albums for labels such as Cypres, Phaedra, Zed classics, Azur Classics, Brilliant Classics, Toccata Classics and Fuga Libera receiving excellent reviews in magazines such as the Strad, Diapason (5/5), Crescendo (Joker) and the golden label.
Eliot is often invited as jury member for international violin competitions in Portugal, Italy, Hong Kong and Belgium. Together with his sister Pianist Jill Lawson , Eliot forms the Lawson & Lawson duo. He is a member of the Lopes Graça string quartet.