Marc Sabbah (1988, New York City) is a viola soloist, chamber musician, conductor, professor of viola and since 2019, director of the Kâsteaux Chamber Music Festival.
From 2012-2024 Marc was the solo and principal violist at the Belgian National Orchestra. In September 2017, Marc began a professorship of viola at the Royal Conservatory of Mons, Belgium. Described as"a magnificent player" by legendary conductor Zubin Mehta, Marc was invited to be guest Principal Violist of the Israeli Philharmonic. Graduating Cum Laude from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Marc was a pupil of Sven Arne Tepl and Nobuko Imai. His recent awards include the 1st prize at the 2016 Rising Stars Grand Prix music competition performing solo at the Berlin Philharmonic hall as well as his recent 1st Grand Prize at the Manhattan International Music Competition with a recital at Carnegie Hall. Having played numerous concerti with International orchestras such as the Belgian National Orchestra, Antalay State Orchestra, Athens State Orchestra, Philharmonische Orchester Basel, Casco Philharmonic, de Filharmonie Amsterdam, la Orquesta Filarmónica de Coahuila, Filarmónica de Bogotá and others, Marc Sabbah is creating a path as a musical force of his generation.
Since 2016, Marc is collaborating with Belgian pianist Eliane Reyes forming the Duo Sabbah-Reyes, a unique duo dedicated to exploring viola and piano repertoire. Marc has performed at the Oxford Chamber Muisc Festival, Delft, Zeeland Klassiek and Utrecht Chamber Music Festivals, Grachten Festival Amsterdam, ArteAmanti, Festival van Vlaanderen, Les Sons Intensifs in Belgium, as well as festivals Arcidosso and Les Nuits Romantiques in Italy and many more. Marc has given masterclasses in association with the Dutch Viola Society, the Brussels Chamber Music Festival, the Athens State Orchestra, Universidad Panamericana Mexico and more. Marc is deeply involved in teaching and communicating his love of music to both young artists and publics alike.
In 2011, Marc Sabbah performed with Ivry Gitlis at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. Since then, Ivry Gitlis attended Marc's performance of the Leo Smit viola concerto at the Royal Conservatory of Mons calling Marc 'The Paganini of viola'. His pursuit of music led him to study with great performers like Pinchas Zukerman, Lawrence Power, Kim Kashkashian, baroque cellist Anner Bijlsma, Nobuko Imai and others. Marc has performed and attended festivals throughout Europe, Israel, Ukraine, Russia, the United States and Canada. Marc has won top prizes at the Moscow Arts Competition in Boston, the Horowitz International Competition and Academy in Kiev, Ukraine, (2004) performing Hoffmeister concerto for viola and orchestra as well as Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with the Ukranian State Orchestra.
At only the age of 18 Marc premiered new works at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall as former violist of the Kubrick-Quartet and as principal violist of the Deutche-Skandinaviche Jugend Philharmonie as well as substituting with the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra (DeFilharmonie) in Antwerp, Belgium. Marc toured with the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra (Nederlands Kamer Orkest) with violinist Gordan Nikolic playing concerts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and a recent 2017 tour in Finland.
Marc began his studies on violin at the age of 3 at the 3rd Street Music School in Manhattan, furthering his studies at the Lucy Moses School with teacher Mark Lakirovich. Mesmerized by the warmth of its tone and in admiration of his sister's cello playing, Marc switched to the viola at age 11. He completed his studies in the United States as a graduate of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High school of Performing Arts and the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School.
Marc plays on a Leroy F. Geiger viola dated 1951 made in Chicago, USA.
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