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David Garrett - 15 facts you never knew
He's the long-haired violin virtuoso that blurred the lines between Mozart and Metallica - but how much do you really know about one of classical music's most eligible bachelors, David Garrett? Find out with our facts gallery.
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1. Born David Bongartz
David Garrett, pictured here with his father Georg, was born David Bongartz on September 4th 1980 in Aachen, Germany. He's currently single and he recently told the Daily Mail: "I spend ten months not at home, so if I had a girlfriend or a wife, yes she could travel with me, but can you imagine having kids unable to go to normal school? I’m not saying that I’m thinking of doing this for the next 30, 40 years, but it’s also the way this job works."
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2. Early promise
From an early age it was clear that Garrett was going to be something special. He began learning the violin at age four and enrolled in the Lübeck Conservatoire at age 7.
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3. Give that man a Strad
Garrett was given his first Stradivarius to use at just 11 years old, thanks to the generosity of German president at the time Richard von Weizsäcker.
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4. First recordings
By the time he was 13, Garrett had recorded two full-length CDs of violin music and was regular fixture on TV across Europe. (Photo by Patrik Stollarz/Getty Images)
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5. Wayward David
After a blistering education that featured mentoring from the legendary Ida Haendel, Garrett joined the Royal College of Music when he was 17. However, he was expelled after just one year of studies.
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6. Juillard bound
After things didn't work out at the RCM, Garrett gave education one more go at the Juillard School of Music, studying musicology and composition. (Photo by Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
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7. Quite the composer
While he was at the Juillard School, Garrett composed a fugue in the style of JS Bach which went on to win the school's 2003 composition prize.
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8. Famous teachers
Among the lauded professionals that passed their knowledge to the young David Garrett was the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlmann.
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9. Part-time model
Taking advantage of his good looks, Garrett earned some extra cash while he was a student by doing some modelling work. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
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10. Free
His first proper album from 2007, Free, recording set out his stall as a crossover artist, tackling repertoire as diverse as Paganini's Caprice No. 24 to Metallica's 'Nothing Else Matters'. (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
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11. Rock Symphonies
In 2010, David let his fondness for rock and crossover get the better of him when he recorded a whole album of rock cover versions. Artists given the Garrett treatment included Guns n' Roses, Aerosmith and Metallica. Picture: Getty
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12. A Royal Audience
In 2011, David was invited to perform in front of the Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance. Rather than settling for one of the classics, Garrett performed a cover version of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.
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13. World record holder
For a while at least, David Garrett was the world record holder for the fastest performance of Rimsky-Korsavkov's 'Flight Of The Bumblebee'.
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14. Champions League
In May 2012 Garrett joined the tenor Jonas Kaufmann in a special performance at the final of the UEFA Champions League.
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15. Famous friends
Taking some time out from being a superstar violinist, Garrett found some time to hang out with superstar pianist Lang Lang at a Lady Gaga concert at the end of 2012.
