Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell has a reputation as a jet-setter, spending more than 200 days a year on tour. As Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, he has already visited eight countries in Europe and South America this season, and Australia is next.

“Everything seems to be back in full swing in Europe and the States,” he tells Limelight, admitting the pandemic gave him pause for thought, especially about his plans for the future. 

Joshua Bell holds his violin, sitting down.

Joshua Bell. Photo © Shervin Lainez

“I’m hoping to schedule in a little bit more time for myself, just to chill out, do nothing or work on things I can’t do when I’m touring constantly,” he says. “Right now, I’m in a little bit of a catch-up phase as so many things were postponed.”

One of those “things” was the release of the Butterfly Lovers violin concerto which he recorded with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and his longtime colleague Maestro Tsung Yeh. 


“I went to Singapore around 2017, and that whole project was done before the pandemic. It sat...