Greek cellist Timotheos Petrin is quickly garnering an international reputation for his distinctive voice. He gained international recognition as a top-prize winner at the prestigious International Paulo Cello Competition in Finland, where he was praised for “a great and passionate soloist style: expressive, vibrant singing lines, sparkling rhythm” and “an interesting, original personality” (Helsingin Sanomat).
In 2016 Mr. Petrin made his U.S. solo debut with the Kansas City Symphony under the direction of Robert Spano. He has also appeared as a soloist with the Helsinki Philharmonic and Susanna Mälkki; the Tapiola Sinfonietta; the Israel Camerata; NEC Philharmonia; and the Athens, Thessaloniki State, and Lahti symphony orchestras. In 2017 he was named Young Artist in Residence of Performance Today, the most listened-to classical music program in the U.S.
An avid chamber musician, Mr. Petrin has collaborated with such artists as Noah-Bendix Balgley, Jonathan Biss, Roberto Díaz, Miriam Fried, Alexey Goribol, Yura Lee, Meng-Chieh Liu, Plamena Mangova, Ignat Solzhenitsyn, and Miri Yampolsky. He has participated in the Marlboro Music Festival, Chamberfest Cleveland, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, Caramoor’s Evnin Rising Stars, the Moritzburg Festival Academy, and the Dimitria Festival.
In addition to his concert appearances, Mr. Petrin is an advocate for charity and philanthropic causes. In Spring 2016, in collaboration with the non-profit organization ‘Podari.Life’ and the renowned Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova, he appeared in performances aiming to raise funds for children diagnosed with oncological and hematological diseases.
Born into a family of musicians in Thessaloniki, Greece, Mr. Petrin studied with Dimitris Patras at the Thessaloniki State Conservatory, with Carter Brey and Peter Wiley at the Curtis Institute of Music, and with Laurence Lesser at the New England Conservatory.