Genesis

ADDA SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA OF ALICANTE
BLAKE POULIOT, violin
JOSEP VICENT, principal conductor

Shostakovich — Violin Concerto No. 1
Shostakovich — Symphony No. 1

INDIVIDUAL TICKET SALES: Starting July 30, 2026.

BLAKE POULIOT, violin

Described as “immaculate, simultaneously refined and passionate” (ArtsAtlanta), violinist Blake Pouliot (pronounced “pool-YACHT”) has secured his place among the foremost prodigies of classical music. A tenacious young artist whose passion captivates audiences at every performance, Pouliot has been hailed as “one of those rare, once-in-a-lifetime talents” (Toronto Star).

As a soloist, highlights of his 2025–26 concert season include a return to the National Arts Centre Orchestra to open the season alongside its Music Director, Alexander Shelley, performing Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1. He will make his debuts with the Illinois Symphony—playing Rozsa’s Violin Concerto under Music Director Taichi Fukumura—and with the Columbus Symphony—performing Korngold’s Violin Concerto under Josep Vicent.

Other solo engagements include appearances with the Rochester Philharmonic and a North America–Spain tour with the Prague Philharmonia, culminating in a Carnegie Hall debut in Stern Auditorium.

His recital season includes performances at Newport Classical, the Vancouver Chamber Music Society, the Artist Series of Sarasota, and Portland Ovations, alongside his longtime collaborator and pianist Henry Kramer.

Since his orchestral debut at age 11, Pouliot has performed with the Aspen, Atlanta, Detroit, Dallas, Madison, Montreal, Toronto, San Francisco, and Seattle symphonies, among many others.

He has collaborated with leading conductors worldwide, including Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Matthias Pintscher, Sir Neville Marriner, David Afkham, Pablo Heras-Casado, JoAnn Falletta, Marcelo Lehninger, Vasily Petrenko, and Thomas Søndergård.

Pouliot has appeared twice on Rob Kapilow’s educational series *What Makes It Great?* and was Artist-in-Residence for NPR’s *Performance Today* in Minnesota (2017/18), Hawaii (2018/19), and across Europe (2021/22).

Previously, he won the Grand Prize of the Manulife Competition of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal in 2016 and was named First Laureate of the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank in both 2015 and 2018.

Pouliot performs on a 1729 Guarneri del Gesù violin, generously loaned by an anonymous donor.