Photos by Nick Moreland Photography
British violinist Freya Creech enjoys a busy and varied performance schedule on both baroque and modern violin. She performs regularly in venues across the world, including Carnegie Hall (NY), The Barbican Centre (London), and La Seine Musicale (Paris), with ensembles such as Apollo’s Fire, Handel & Haydn Society, Opera Lafayette, and the Smithsonian Chamber Academy on their renowned collection of Strads. Freya has appeared as concerto soloist with Apollo’s Fire and True Concord Voices & Orchestra, with whom she has also collaborated on their most recent records, earning a GRAMMY® nomination (2025). This season, Freya looks forward to performing as Concertmaster and soloist with the Washington Bach Consort, and with her own recently established performance project, Ensemble Valshamr, dedicated to bringing high-quality, zero-cost performances to her community in Washington, DC.
In 2022, Freya recorded a live performance video as soloist in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for PBS Arizona, which received three EMMY nominations. In the same year, she had the opportunity to tour Argentina and Uruguay with QuinTango, a chamber tango ensemble. Freya has also produced two albums of little-known solo violin music, featuring composers Sonia Eckhardt-Gramatté and Virgil Thomson, collaborated on the album, ‘Sylva’, by artist Benoît Pioulard, and featured on many other critically acclaimed records.
A definite highlight of Freya's musical life so far has been working on and performing Beethoven's Op. 127 Quartet with Pekka Kuusisto at the Domaine Forget Festival Chamber Music Session in 2015. Through playing with Pekka, Freya discovered that a revolution in classical music is possible! She learned the importance of risk-taking, the beauty in finding new sound colours, and the art of truly expressive yet simple playing.
Freya has given numerous performances at international festivals, including The Staunton, Caramoor, Ravinia, Edinburgh Fringe, Aldeburgh, and Salzburg Kammermusik Festivals. She draws much inspiration from these experiences and the exciting musical collaborations they present. These have included working intensively with Ferenc Rados at IMS Prussia Cove Masterclasses (Cornwall), the Miró and JACK quartets, Caroline Shaw and the ICE Ensemble at the Banff Centre (Canada), Rainer Schmidt and Gary Hoffmann at ProQuartet Festival (Paris). Freya has also been lucky enough to collaborate with Andras Keller, Huw Watkins, Bengt Forsberg, and the Doric and London Haydn String Quartets.
Freya grew up on the Wild Atlantic Way, in the west of Ireland, where she learned the violin with her mother. After moving to the UK at the age of ten, she entered the Royal Academy of Music, London, where she was awarded the 'Sir Elton John Scholarship'. Freya completed her Bachelor and Masters of Arts degrees with distinctions at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, as a student of Professor Klara Flieder. She furthered her studies in baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory of the Hague, and in Kammermusik, at the Hochschule für Musik, Hannover. In 2019, Freya embarked on a new journey to America, and currently lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and tabby cat.
In addition to her violin activities, Freya is also an enthusiastic viola player, an instrument for which she also has a great affinity and real love. She has performed some wonderful chamber music works on the viola, and will always be ready to say 'yes' when asked to sight-read any chamber music on viola!
Freya’s other interests include a deep love of art (she is often to be found enjoying an afternoon at an exhibition) as well as opera, cinema, reading, and food (cooking, but mostly eating!). Freya also has a huge passion for writing, and has developed a large international readership of her blog, Shaky Lens, which you can visit on this site.
Freya has been generously supported by the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities, Sir Elton John, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, the Emanuel Hurwitz Charitable Chamber Music Trust, the Lewes Rotary Club, and the President's Office at the Hochschule in Hannover. She is extremely grateful for all the support that she has received and is currently planning projects that will help the next generation of young musicians. She plays on a 1920 Guerra modern violin and 1801 Cabasse baroque violin.
For a concert bio or my up-to-date resume, please contact me.