ECHO Rising Stars: Johan Dalene

‘There’s a “presence” about Johan Dalene’s playing that announces a musician of special sensibilities’ (Gramophone). Come and see what all the fuss is about with this majorly talented young violinist.

At just 21 years old, Dalene possesses profound maturity, intelligence, and composure far beyond his years. Winner of First Prize at the 2019 Carl Nielsen Competition; student of Janine Jansen; debuts with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Czech Philharmonic on the horizon; and a first album BBC Music Magazine declared ‘one of the finest violin debuts of the last decade’: all the signs point towards a young musician with a brilliant international career ahead of him. 

No wonder then that Dalene was nominated as an ECHO Rising Star this season, or that the Anders Sveaas’ Charitable Foundation saw fit to loan him the ‘Spencer Dyke’ Stradivarius so early in his career. We’ve no doubt he’ll put it to good use, be it in the simple singing beauty of Elgar’s Sospiri, or exciting new work Companion from fellow Swede Tebogo Monnakgotla.