Described by The Guardian as “an enthralling storyteller”, Ava Bahari is a highly accomplished Swedish violinist with a refreshing appetite for unique repertoire. Nominated by Konserthuset Stockholm, Philharmonie de Paris and NOSPR Katowice Concert Hall, Bahari is an 2026/27 ECHO Rising Star. She was Artist in Residence with the Gothenburg Symphony during the 2024/25 and 2025/26 seasons.
As part of her ECHO Rising Star season, Bahari presents recitals across many of Europe’s leading concert halls – venues extend to Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, L’Auditori Barcelona, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, among others, including the Vienna Musikverein where she launches the run on 15 November 2026 with the world premiere of Swedish compatriot Anders Hillborg’s new work, commissioned by ECHO and written especially for her. Concerto appearances, meanwhile, include debuts with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestras, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra – where she presents the world premiere of Antti Auvinen’s Violin Concerto, alongside chief conductor Nicholas Collon – Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonie Zuidnederland, among others.
Recent notable engagements include Orchestre de Paris, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg, Hamburger Symphoniker, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (2025/26 season-closing concerts), Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Iceland and Stavanger symphony orchestras, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestra Filarmonica di Bologna, and several performances with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra including the Swedish premiere of James MacMillan’s Violin Concerto No.2, among others. During her two-season Gothenburg Symphony residency, Bahari performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Joshua Weilerstein, Hindemith’s Violin Concerto with Jaime Martín, and Brahms’ Double Concerto alongside Andreas Brantelid with conductor Pekka Kuusisto. She collaborated closely with former chief conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali during his final season in Gothenburg, opening 2025/26 with Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto and returning in the spring to perform Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.
Bahari’s Gothenburg tenure also saw the release of her debut album, for which she reunited with the orchestra and Santtu-Matias Rouvali to record Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, released on Alpha Classics. RONDO described Bahari as striking “the perfect balance between bold attack, robust intensity, and an expressiveness that maintains its poise even in the most intimate moments”, while Gramophone magazine selected the album as part of its ‘Editor’s Choice’ and noted “ […] the best way I can express what sets apart [Bahari’s] reading of this oft-performed piece is the value with which she imbues every note, be it part of a singing phrase or a driving rush of pyrotechnics.”
Conductor collaborations and artistic partnerships extend to names such as Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Vasily Petrenko, Omer Meir Wellber, Jonathan Nott, Andrew Manze, Brett Dean, Tabita Berglund, Pietari Inkinen, Kristian Sallinen, Samy Rachid, Nil Venditti and Bar Avni. Bahari is also a keen chamber musician, and has appeared at renowned festivals including Schleswig-Holstein, Aix-en-Provence and Santander, performing with musicians such as Kirill Gerstein, Daniel Hope, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Adrien La Marca, Marisol Montalvo and Andreas Ottensamer. Recent notable solo performances include a Paganini recital at the Seoul Arts Center, a recital on the ‘Stauffer’ Guarneri del Gesù 1734 at Museo del Violino, Cremona, and a recital at Konzerthaus Berlin.
In spring 2024, Bahari received her Konzertexamen Diploma from Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, further to Bachelor and Master studies under the guidance of Professor Kolja Blacher. In 2021 she completed a degree at the Accademia Stauffer in Cremona, Italy. She has received numerous awards, including top prizes at the Premio Paganini Competition in Genova (2021), Concours International Tibor Varga in Sion (2021) and Aurora Music Competition in Stockholm (2019).
Bahari plays on an Antonio Stradivarius violin, made in Cremona in 1694, on loan by the Anders Sveaas' Almennyttige Fond (ASAF).