David Garrett Plays Second Show at Seattle Theatre Group, 2/22

Due to overwhelming popular demand, David Garrett will be playing a second show at the Seattle Theatre Group (STG)on Monday, February 22, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Moore Theatre..

By the time he was thirteen years old, when most of his peers were whiling away their afternoons on their new PlayStations, the virtuoso violinist David Garrett had a classical music career that would make most artists of any age pea-green with envy. Born in the German city of Aachen to an American ballerina mother and a German father who was a lawyer, David was a true child prodigy. At age eight, he was being booked to play as a soloist in front of some of the world's greatest orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Russian National Orchestra. When he was twelve, he was performing alongside legend Yehudi Menuhin. When he turned thirteen, he was signed to one of the most famous and prestigious classical music labels in the world, Deutsche Grammophon, as a solo artist.

With the demands of his fast-burgeoning career and an ultra-intense focus on classical music, David had barely heard any rock or pop music until he was a teenager. "I'd listened to nothing but classical music until the age of fourteen," says the now 27-year-old David, who was home-schooled until that age. "So when I started going to regular school, and started to be exposed to all this pop and rock, it was a revelation."

As a result, David has carved out a unique and wholly new artistic path, one that pays as much homage to Metallica as to Mozart. His daring journey from classical wunderkind to mature and highly adventurous artist has been fulfilling not just for him personally, but clearly resonates with an enormous worldwide audience. David Garrett is already a huge star in Europe, as well as the Far East. He plays nightly to thousands of adoring fans, particularly in Germany where he has already completed a sold-out arena tour, conquered the charts and garnered two gold discs for both of his records released there. On the famous Last Night of Proms in the UK, he played to a crowd of 40,000 people, and also appeared at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in an impressive six concerts in seven days. His sole album released in the UK became a Top 20 chart fixture.

Now, he's set to conquer a whole new terrain with his first American release, simply entitled, David Garrett. His international career is multi-faceted. With arresting good looks and charisma, David landed a deal as a global brand ambassador for Banana Republic in 2009, and has additional endorsements overseas with brands including Audi and Montblanc. Dubbed, "the fastest violinist in the world," by German paper Kolner Stadt-Anzeigere, the incredible violinist will be in the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records, as the fastest-ever performer of the Flight of the Bumblebee, clocking in at a blistering 66 seconds.

Other influences on David include Queen ("the first non-classical album I ever bought was A Night at the Opera," the violinist recalls). The band's ballad "Who Wants to Live Forever" makes its way onto David Garrett, as does AC/DC's "Thunderstruck." The violinist draws on a fantastic array of other stylistic inspirations. "He's a Pirate" was taken from the score for the smash film franchise "Pirates of the Caribbean." David says, "I've always loved film music, and this score just delivered the right amount of power and seriousness to counterpoint the rather funny story." Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" makes an appearance as well; it's been a longtime favorite which David always used first as a backstage warm-up before performances, and then as a staple in his dynamic live shows.

Tickets: $33.00, not including applicable fees.  Tickets are on sale Saturday, October 17th at 10am at Tickets.com, in person at the Paramount Theatre box offices, 24-hour kiosks located outside The Paramount & Moore Theatres, charge by phone at 877-STG-4TIX, or online at STGPresents.org.

Seattle Theatre Group is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region's cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a range of performances from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows - at both historic theatres in Seattle and venues throughout the Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.