The Austro-Bulgarian violinist Mario Hossen is considered one of the great virtuosos of our time and a leading interpreter of Paganini's music. As an internationally acclaimed soloist, Hossen has performed with renowned orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony, the Orchestra della Scala di Milano, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow, among many others.

Praised for his unparalleled virtuosity and charismatic stage presence, Hossen performs a repertoire that spans from the Renaissance to contemporary music and jazz.

He has received several prestigious awards, including the Sofia City Award – Musician of the Year.

Mario Hossen is the artistic director of the Varna International Music Festival, the oldest music festival in Bulgaria, founded in 1926 and recently honored by the European Festivals Association.

His musicological and artistic endeavors are focused, among other topics, on Paganini research. Hossen edited the complete works of Paganini for solo violin and for violin with orchestra, which is available as a historical-critical edition by the Austrian publisher Doblinger.

He has recorded several acclaimed albums featuring the world premiere of Paganini's most famous pieces in their original versions, released by the leading Italian label Dynamic.

His most recent albums include Beethoven's violin and piano sonatas, Paganini's and Bruch's violin concertos, and Bach's violin and harpsichord sonatas, recorded together with harpsichordist Piero Barbareschi.

Mario Hossen plays a violin crafted by G.B. Guadagnini in 1749, generously loaned for his exclusive use by the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian National Bank).