“This young Dutch-American virtuoso left an excellent impression at the time.”

“For Stephen Waarts to have stepped in and played the fearlessly virtuosic Busoni sonata so well was impressive, to say the least. He played the outer movements of the ​“Kreutzer” with compelling and bright-toned verve.”

“[Schubert’s Konzertstück] is now brought to light by the charismatic violinist Stephen Waarts in a similarly fragile beauty. Unbelievably variable in terms of sound, with charm and wit in the sense of humorously accentuated escalation.”

“His clear and sharp sound and his unparalleled technique are tailor-made for this chiseled work” (Hindemith, Kammermusik No.4)

“The violinist Stephen Waarts [..] had lots of fire, energy and passion with the technical ability to jump every unplayable hurdle with ease. And last but not least, of course, a musically unmistakable charisma.”

“The slow movement was particularly striking, as Waarts sang the contemplative characteristics in a mature way that brought to mind a young Yehudi Menuhin”

“Mr. Waarts was commanding in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor…Mr. Waarts tapped into tensions within the Neo-Classical veneer of Prokofiev’s music. That opening movement goes through dramatic shifts, from moments of dreamy lyricism, which Mr. Waarts shaped with melting beauty, to bursts of perpetual-motion busyness, which he dispatched with articulate fervor.”

“The Eindhovense listeners at least have recognised and embraced him as a musical genius.”

“Still in his teens, Stephen Waarts, as tall and thin as Ichabod Crane but with an angelic countenance that mirrored his fiddling, played the Brahms Concerto with unreal poise, technical command, and a totally natural sense of musical drama, complementing conductor Maxim Vengerov’s visionary approach and the Montreal Symphony’s inspired playing.”

“Waarts displayed well-polished sonorities that were consistently executed with cleanliness and clarity. He played through his part as if nothing Mendelssohn had written posed any unmanageable challenge. This was familiar music; but the execution had a freshness to it. This was a reading that seized attention from the opening notes and held it to the final cadence.”

“In the finale, we saw a return of Waarts’ agility and speed as he and the orchestra flew to a rousing finale. The audience leapt to their feet to give him what is sure to be one of many standing ovations in what is sure to be a stellar career.”