List of violists

This is a list of Wikipedia articles on notable viola players. In cases where a violist has also achieved fame in another musical area, such as conducting or composing, this is noted.

A

 * Tasso Adamopoulos (1944–2021)
 * Julia Rebekka Adler (b. 1978)
 * Adolfo Alejo (b. 1986), conductor
 * Sir Hugh Allen (1869–1946), conductor
 * Kris Allen (b. 1985)
 * Vladimir Altshuler (b. 1946), conductor
 * Ruben Altunyan (1939–2021), composer, conductor
 * Johann Andreas Amon (1763–1825)
 * B. Tommy Andersson (b. 1964), composer, conductor
 * Paul Angerer (1927–2017), composer
 * Steven Ansell (b. 1954)
 * Atar Arad (b. 1945), composer
 * Cecil Aronowitz (1916–1978)
 * Dino Asciolla (1920–1994)
 * Jean-Marie Auberson (1920–2004), violinist, conductor
 * Emilie Autumn
 * Eddie Ayres (b. 1967)

B

 * Joseph Baber (1937–2022), composer
 * Johann Aegidius Bach (1645–1716), organist
 * Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), composer
 * Sigismund Bachrich (1841–1913), composer, violinist
 * August Baeyens (1895–1966), composer
 * Vladimir Bakaleinikov (1885–1953), conductor, composer
 * Michael Balling (1866–1925), conductor
 * Alain Bancquart (1934–2022), composer
 * Rudolf Barshai (1924–2010), conductor
 * Hans-Christian Bartel (1932–2014), composer
 * Yuri Bashmet (b. 1953)
 * Cathy Basrak (b. 1977)
 * Natalie Bauer-Lechner (1858–1921)
 * Sally Beamish (b. 1956), composer
 * Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), composer
 * Sviatoslav Belonogov (b. 1965)
 * Mitrofan Belyayev (1836–1904)
 * František Benda (1709–1786), composer
 * Jiří Antonín Benda (1722–1795), composer
 * Daniel Benyamini (1925–1993)
 * Wilhelm Georg Berger (1929–1993), composer
 * Yehonatan Berick (b. 1968), violinist
 * Harry Berly (1905–1937)
 * Lise Berthaud (b. 1982)
 * Vasily Bessel (1843–1907), music publisher
 * Roger Best (1936–2013)
 * Mikhail Bezverkhny (b. 1947), violinist
 * Franz Beyer (1922–2018), musicologist
 * Hatto Beyerle (1933–2023), chamber musician, conductor
 * Luigi Alberto Bianchi (1945–2018)
 * Benjamin Blake (1751–1827), composer, violinist
 * Herbert Blendinger (1936–2020), composer
 * Joseph von Blumenthal (1782–1856), violinist, composer
 * Alexandre Pierre François Boëly (1785–1858)
 * Emil Bohnke (1888–1928), composer, conductor
 * Vadim Borisovsky (1900–1972)
 * Jacques Borsarello (b. 1951)
 * York Bowen (1884–1961), composer, pianist
 * Máximo Arrates Boza (1859–1936), composer
 * Jolyon Brettingham Smith (1949–2008), composer, conductor
 * Frank Bridge (1879–1941), composer
 * Benjamin Britten (1913–1976), composer
 * Carolyn Waters Broe, composer, conductor
 * Sheila Browne (b. 1971)
 * František Brož (1896–1962), composer
 * Gerard von Brucken Fock (1859–1935), composer
 * Bjarne Brustad (1895–1978), composer, violinist
 * Peter Bucknell (b. 1977)
 * Kenji Bunch (b. 1973)
 * Caleb Burhans (b. 1980), composer

C

 * John Cale (b. 1942)
 * Helen Callus
 * Bartolomeo Campagnoli (1751–1827), composer, violinist
 * Giuliano Carmignola (b. 1951), violinist
 * David Aaron Carpenter (b. 1986)
 * Henri Casadesus (1879–1947)
 * Gérard Caussé (b. 1948)
 * Eugenio Cavallini (1806–1881), violinist, conductor
 * Alain Celo (b. 1960), composer
 * Ladislav Černý (1891–1975)
 * Eugène Chartier (1893–1963), violinist, conductor
 * Roger Chase (b. 1953)
 * André Hippolyte Chélard (1789–1861), composer, conductor
 * Rebecca Clarke (1886–1979), composer
 * Caroline Coade
 * Eric Coates (1886–1957), composer
 * Christian Colberg (b. 1968)
 * Paul Coletti (b. 1959)
 * Anthony Collins (1893–1963), composer, conductor
 * Serge Collot (1923–2015)
 * Carlton Cooley (1898–1981), composer
 * Winifred Copperwheat (1905–76), performer, teacher
 * Paul Cropper (1913–2006)
 * Wayne Crouse (1924–2000)
 * John Curro (1932–2019), conductor

D

 * David Dalton (1934–2022)
 * Harry Danks (1912–2001)
 * Steven Dann (b. 1953)
 * Gyula Dávid (1913–1977)
 * Tania Davis (b. 1975)
 * Brett Dean (b. 1961)
 * Christophe Desjardins (1962–2020)
 * Jack Delano (1914–1997), composer
 * Alan de Veritch (b. 1947)
 * Brett Deubner (b.1968)
 * Patrizia Di Paolo
 * Roberto Díaz (b. 1960)
 * Viacheslav Dinerchtein (b. 1976)
 * Paul Doktor (1919–1989)
 * Demetrius Constantine Dounis (1886–1954), violinist, pedagogue
 * Dimitris Dragatakis (1914–2001), composer
 * Karen Dreyfus
 * Duncan Druce (1939–2015), composer
 * Fyodor Druzhinin (1932–2007)
 * Philip Dukes (b. 1968)
 * Matthias Durst (1815–1875), violinist, composer
 * Charles Dutoit (b. 1936), conductor
 * Lawrence Dutton (b. 1954)
 * Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), composer

E

 * Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst (1814–1865), violinist
 * Ernest van der Eyken (1913–2010), composer, conductor

F

 * Ralph Farris (b. 1970)
 * Kristina Fialová
 * Federigo Fiorillo (1753–c.1823), violinist, composer, pedagogue
 * William Flackton (1709–1978), composer
 * Richard Fleischman (b. 1963)
 * Watson Forbes (1909–1997)
 * Cecil Forsyth (1870–1941), composer
 * Johannes Fritsch (1941–2010), composer
 * Lillian Fuchs (1901–1995)
 * Arthur Furer (1924–2013), composer, violinist
 * Paul Walter Fürst (1926–2013), composer
 * Kenji Fusé (b. 1965), composer

G

 * Grigori Gamburg (1900–1967), composer, conductor
 * John Garvey (1921–2006), conductor
 * Ottmar Gerster (1897–1969), composer, conductor
 * Carlo Maria Giulini (1914–2005), conductor
 * Bruno Giuranna (b. 1933)
 * Donald A. Glaser (1926–2013), Nobel Prize–winning physicist
 * Roland Glassl (b. 1972)
 * Rosemary Glyde (1948–1994), composer
 * Rivka Golani (b. 1946)
 * Richard Goldner (1908–1991)
 * Jonny Greenwood, lead guitarist of Radiohead
 * Ebbe Grims-land (1915–2015)
 * Amihai Grosz (b. 1979)

H

 * Veronika Hagen (b. 1963)
 * Dietmar Hallmann (b. 1935)
 * Hope Hambourg (1902–1989)
 * Harutyun Hanesyan (1911–1987), composer
 * John Harbison (b. 1938), composer
 * Kenneth Harding (1903–1992), composer
 * Joseph Haydn (1732–1809), composer
 * Donald Heins (1878–1949), violinist, conductor, composer
 * Willy Hess (1859–1939), violinist
 * Raphael Hillyer (1914–2010)
 * Paul Hindemith (1895–1963), composer
 * Alfred Charles Hobday (1870–1942)
 * Manfred Honeck (b. 1958), conductor
 * Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (1954–2006), mezzo-soprano

I

 * Nobuko Imai (b. 1943)
 * Yuko Inoue

J

 * Hanoch Jacoby (1909–1990), composer
 * Baudime Jam (b. 1972), composer
 * Janine Jansen (b. 1978), violinist
 * Leroy Jenkins (1932–2007)
 * Raymond Jeremy (1890–1969)
 * Otto Joachim (1910–2010), composer
 * Matthew Jones (b. 1974), violinist

K

 * Jiří Kabeš (b. 1946), singer, songwriter
 * Thomas Kakuska (1940–2005)
 * Jan Karlin (b. 1954), producer, administrator
 * Jurgis Karnavičius (1884–1941), composer
 * Gilad Karni
 * Kim Kashkashian (b. 1952)
 * Milton Katims (1909–2006), conductor
 * Martha Strongin Katz (b. 1942)
 * Hugo Kauder (1888–1972), composer, violinist
 * Nigel Keay (b. 1955), composer
 * Nigel Kennedy (b. 1956), violinist
 * Louise Lincoln Kerr (1892–1977), composer
 * Isabelle van Keulen (b. 1966), violinist
 * Volker David Kirchner (1942–2020), composer
 * Dmitri Klebanov (1907–1987)
 * Paul Klengel (1854–1935), violinist, pianist
 * Garth Knox (b. 1956)
 * Ulrich Koch (1921–1996)
 * Vesko Kountchev (b. 1974)
 * František Kočvara (1730–1791), composer
 * Katalin Kokas (b. 1978), violinist
 * Johann Král (1823–1912), also played viola d'amore
 * Tosca Kramer (1903–1976)
 * Alison Krauss (b. 1971)
 * Emil Kreuz (1867–1932)
 * Milan Křížek (1926–2018), composer
 * Boris Kroyt (1897–1969)
 * Theodore Kuchar (b. 1960), conductor
 * Ferdinand Küchler (1867–1937), violinist, composer
 * Michael Kugel (b. 1946)
 * Sigiswald Kuijken (b. 1944), violinist, conductor

L

 * Michelle LaCourse
 * Théophile Laforge (1863–1918)
 * Édouard Lalo (1823–1892), composer
 * Anne Lanzilotti (b. 1983), composer
 * Jaime Laredo (b. 1941), violinist
 * Victor Legley (1915–1994), composer
 * Pierre Lénert (b. 1966)
 * Harold Levin (b. 1956)
 * Avri Levitan (b. 1973)
 * Jodi Levitz
 * Teng Li
 * Ingvar Lidholm (1921–2017), composer
 * Samuel Lifschey (1889–1961)
 * Lim Soon Lee (b. 1957), conductor
 * Alfred Lipka (1931–2010)
 * Ernest Llewellyn (1915–1982), violinist, conductor
 * Lloyd Loar instrument designer, composer, played viola alta
 * James Lockyer (1883–1962)
 * James Lowe (b. 1976), conductor
 * Lydia Luce, singer-songwriter
 * Pál Lukács (1919–1981)

M

 * Jef Maes (1905–1996), composer
 * Virginia Majewski (1907–1995)
 * Sergey Malov (b. 1983), violinist
 * Mat Maneri (b. 1969), composer, violinist
 * Michael Mann (1919–1977), violinist
 * Jethro Marks
 * Carlo Martelli (b. 1935), composer
 * Tatjana Masurenko (b. 1965)
 * Uri Mayer (b. 1946), conductor
 * Eduard Melkus (b. 1928), violinist
 * Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), composer
 * Vladimir Mendelssohn (1949–2021), composer
 * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist
 * John Metcalfe (b. 1964)
 * Michel Michalakakos (b. 1954)
 * Miroslav Miletić (1925–2018), composer
 * Shlomo Mintz (b. 1957), violinist
 * Marco Misciagna (b. 1984), violinist, educator
 * Alexander Mishnaevski
 * Roberto Molinelli (b. 1963), composer, conductor
 * Nils Mönkemeyer (b. 1978)
 * Pierre Monteux (1875–1964), conductor
 * Arie Van de Moortel (1918–1976), composer
 * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), composer
 * Janee Munroe (1923–2006)
 * Henry Myerscough (1927–2007)

N

 * Philipp Naegele (1928–2011), violinist
 * Naruhito, Emperor of Japan (b. 1960)
 * Oskar Nedbal (1874–1930), composer
 * Paul Neubauer (b. 1962)
 * Václav Neumann (1920–1995), conductor
 * Maria Newman (b. 1962), violinist, composer
 * Casimir Ney (1801–1877)
 * Nokuthula Ngwenyama (b. 1976)

O

 * Heiichiro Ohyama (b. 1947)
 * David Oistrakh (1908–1974), violinist
 * Raphaël Oleg (b. 1959), violinist
 * Martin Outram

P

 * Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840), composer, violinist
 * Johannes Palaschko (1877–1932), violinist, composer
 * Úna Palliser, vocalist, violinist
 * Ian Parrott (1916–2012), composer
 * Harry Partch (1901–1974), composer
 * Ödön Pártos (1907–1977), composer
 * Joseph de Pasquale (1919–2015)
 * Bruno Pasquier (b. 1943)
 * Pemi Paull (b. 1975)
 * Pierre Pasquier (1902–1986)
 * Clara Petrozzi (b. 1965), violinist, composer
 * Allan Pettersson (1911–1980), composer
 * Cynthia Phelps (b. 1961)
 * Robert Pikler (1909–1984), violinist
 * Ashan Pillai (b. 1969)
 * Enrico Polo (1868–1953), violinist
 * Jocelyn Pook (b. 1960), composer
 * Diemut Poppen (b. 1960)
 * Rita Porfiris (b. 1969)
 * Ari Poutiainen (b. 1972)
 * Lawrence Power (b. 1977)
 * William Presser (1916–2004), composer, violinist
 * Milton Preves (1909–2000)
 * Joseph Primavera (1926–2006), conductor
 * William Primrose (1904–1982)

Q

 * Karl Traugott Queisser (1800–1846)

R

 * Julian Rachlin (b. 1974), violinist
 * Mary Ramsey (b. 1963), violinist, singer, songwriter
 * Wilhelm Ramsøe (1837–1895), composer, conductor, violinist
 * Émile Pierre Ratez (1851–1934), composer
 * Mary Ruth Ray (1956–2013)
 * Adolf Rebner (1876–1967)
 * Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936), composer
 * Sophia Reuter (b. 1971), violinist
 * Allard de Ridder (1887–1966), conductor, composer
 * Frederick Riddle (1912–1995)
 * Timothy Ridout (b. 1995)
 * Joaquín Riquelme García (b. 1983)
 * Karen Ritscher
 * Hermann Ritter (1849–1926)
 * Carol Rodland
 * Jean Rogister (1879–1964), composer
 * Hartmut Rohde (b. 1966)
 * Alessandro Rolla (1757–1841), composer
 * Antonio Rolla (1798–1837), violinist, composer
 * Paul Rolland (1911–1978)
 * Max Rostal (1905–1991), violinist
 * Simon Rowland-Jones (b. 1950)
 * Vincent Royer (b. 1961)
 * Miklós Rózsa (1907–1995), composer
 * Thomas Ryan (1827–1903)
 * Maxim Rysanov (b. 1978)

S

 * Pauline Sachse (b. 1980)
 * Luigi Sagrati (1921–2008)
 * Philip Sainton (1891–1967), composer, conductor
 * Matthias Sannemüller (b. 1951)
 * Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio (b. 1960), violinist
 * Guido Santórsola (1904–1994), composer
 * Hermann Scherchen (1891–1966), conductor
 * Peter Schidlof (1922–1987)
 * Ervin Schiffer (1932–2014)
 * Hanning Schröder (1896–1987), composer
 * Franz Schubert (1797–1828), composer
 * Joseph Schubert (1754–1837), composer, violinist
 * Rudolf Schwarz (1905–1994), conductor
 * Albert Seitz (1872–1937), composer
 * Konstantin Sellheim (b. 1978)
 * Tibor Serly (1901–1978), composer
 * Jonathan Sheffer (b. 1953), composer, conductor
 * William Shield (1748–1829)
 * Bernard Shore (1896–1985)
 * Gilbert Shufflebotham (1907–1978), violinist
 * Oscar Shumsky (1917–2000), violinist, conductor
 * Paul Silverthorne (b. 1951)
 * Robert Siohan (1894–1985), composer, conductor
 * Nadia Sirota
 * Hans Sitt (1850–1922)
 * Scott Slapin (b. 1974), composer
 * Kay Slocum
 * Peter Slowik (b. 1957)
 * Anton Stamitz (1750–c.1800), composer
 * Carl Stamitz (1745–1801), composer
 * Johann Stamitz (1717–1757), composer
 * Helen Camille Stanley (b.1930), composer
 * Jean Stewart (1914–2002)
 * Scott St. John (b. 1969)
 * Simon Streatfeild (1929–2019), conductor
 * Jennifer Stumm
 * Josef Suk (1929–2011), violinist
 * Jean Sulem (b. 1959)
 * Louis Svećenski (1862–1926)
 * Gusztáv Szerémi (1877–1952), composer

T

 * Robert Talbot (1893–1954), conductor, composer, violinist
 * Václav Talich (1883–1961), conductor, violinist
 * Antoine Tamestit (b. 1979)
 * Will Taylor (b. 1968)
 * Jan Tausinger (1921–1980), composer, conductor
 * Arve Tellefsen, (b. 1936), violinist
 * Yuri Temirkanov (b. 1938), conductor
 * Mela Tenenbaum, violinist
 * Lionel Tertis (1876–1975)
 * Xaver Paul Thoma (b. 1953), composer
 * Marcus Thompson (b. 1946)
 * Katia Tiutiunnik (b. 1967), composer
 * Lars Anders Tomter (b. 1959)
 * Giuseppe Torelli (1658–1709), pedagogue, composer
 * Sabine Toutain (b. 1966)
 * Jacqueline Townshend (1912–1983), pianist, violinist
 * Walter Trampler (1915–1997)
 * Michael Tree (1934–2018)
 * Anahit Tsitsikian (1926–1999), violinist, musicologist
 * Karen Tuttle (1920–2010)

U

 * Åke Uddén (1903–1987), composer, conductor
 * Alfred Uhl (1909–1992)
 * Chrétien Urhan (1790–1845)

V

 * Nancy Van de Vate (1930–2023), composer, pianist
 * Léon van Hout (1864–1945)
 * Roland Vamos (b. 1930)
 * Emanuel Vardi (1915–2011)
 * Maxim Vengerov (b. 1974), violinist
 * Robert Vernon (b. 1949)
 * Maurice Vieux (1884–1951)
 * Johann Georg Hermann Voigt (1769–1811), composer
 * Ladislav Vycpálek (1882–1969), composer, violinist

W

 * Louis van Waefelghem (1840–1908)
 * Ernst Wallfisch (1920–1979)
 * Geraldine Walther (b. 1950)
 * Johann Baptist Wanhal (1739–1813)
 * Harry Waldo Warner (1874–1945), composer
 * Melia Watras
 * John Webb (b. 1969), composer
 * Hieronymus Weickmann (1825–1895)
 * Justus Weinreich (1858–1927), composer
 * Franz Weiss (1778–1830)
 * Henryk Wieniawski (1835–1880), violinist
 * Emanuel Wirth (1842–1923), violinist
 * Lena Wood (1899–1982)
 * Mark Wood

X

 * Hong-Mei Xiao (b. 1963)
 * Pierre-Henri Xuereb (b. 1959)

Y

 * Eugène Ysaÿe (1858–1931), violinist

Z

 * Bernard Zaslav (1926–2016)
 * Wen Xiao Zheng (b. 1981)
 * Grigori Zhislin (1945–2017), violinist
 * Lev Zhurbin (b. 1978), composer
 * Tabea Zimmermann (b. 1966)
 * Fidelis Zitterbart (1845–1915), composer
 * Đuro Živković (b. 1975), composer, violinist
 * León Zuckert (1904–1992), composer, violinist
 * Pinchas Zukerman (b. 1948), violinist