Ricardo Cyncynates

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Violinist Ricardo Cyncynates has performed extensively as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout the United States, Europe, and South America. He is Assistant Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra, a position to which he was appointed by Mstislav Rostropovich following his tenure with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

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As a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Cyncynates has been featured in concertos by Mozart and Vivaldi, as well as in Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, Saint-Saëns’s Havanaise and Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Sibelius’s Six Humoresques, and Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 for solo violin. He was also featured on a program conducted by Music Director Leonard Slatkin for the League of American Orchestras’ National Conference Concert.

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Cyncynates has appeared as soloist with numerous other orchestras in the Washington, D.C. area, performing a broad repertoire that includes concertos and major works by Bach, Barber, Brahms, Busoni, Dvořák, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Paganini, Saint-Saëns, and Sibelius, as well as Bernstein’s Serenade after Plato’s Symposium. As a recitalist and chamber musician, he has appeared at many of Washington’s most distinguished concert venues.

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Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Cyncynates began his violin studies with his father, Felix Cyncynates. At the age of eleven, he made his solo debut after winning Brazil’s National Young Soloists Competition. He continued his studies at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, and Indiana University, where his teachers included Arrigo Pelliccia, Salvatore Accardo, and Franco Gulli.

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Cyncynates established a prominent performing career in Brazil at an early age. At nineteen, he became First Concertmaster of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, while maintaining an active career as a soloist. His achievements were recognized with numerous awards and honors, including those from Brazil’s National Research Council, Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the Schering Corporation.

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A dedicated and highly regarded teacher, Cyncynates has taught generations of young violinists, many of whom have received prizes in national and international competitions and gone on to professional careers. Former students hold positions in major orchestras in the United States and Europe. He has also presented master classes throughout the United States, Asia, and South America.

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Cyncynates performs on “The David,” a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin made in 1873.

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Photo: Alexis Glenn / Creative Services George Mason University

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