Fischer tops Gramophone poll

Julia Fischer, the 24-year-old German violinist who joins Yuri Temikarnov and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in tour appearances Oct. 23 at the Kennedy Center in Washington and Oct. 25 at the Ferguson Center in Newport News, has been named the 2007 Gramophone Artist of the Year, winning a poll of the British magazine's readers and the listeners of 14 classical radio stations worldwide.

In both the Washington and Newport News dates, Fischer will be the soloist in the Beethoven Violin Concerto. (See October 2007 calendar for details.)