Yamen Saadi [...] first met Barenboim when he was 10, when he told him it was his dream to join the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. The Guardian

At just 25, Yamen Saadi became Concertmaster of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Vienna Philharmonic. Renowned for his virtuosity and lyricism, he has performed with leading orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Israel Philharmonic under esteemed conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Leonidas Kavakos and Lawrence Foster.

Born in Nazareth, Saadi began his studies at the Barenboim-Said Conservatory and later with Chaim Taub. He joined the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra at the age of 11 and became its concertmaster at just 17. A graduate of the Barenboim-Said Academy and Kronberg Academy, he won the Aviv Competition and the Paul Ben Haim Competition in 2020.

Saadi’s debut album, Voices From Paris (2022), received critical acclaim. 

Yamen Saadi plays a very fine violin by Antonio Stradivari, Cremona 1734, known as the “Lord Amherst of Hackney, ex Fritz Kreisler”, a generous loan by a member of the Stretton Society.