Born in Maria da Fé, a city in Minas Gerais, Rommel Fernandes began his musical studies at Pouso Alegre Conservatory and obtained a bachelor’s degree in violin from São Paulo State University (Unesp), as a student of Ayrton Pinto. In the United States, he has obtained the titles of Master and Doctor in Music with Honors from the Northwestern University, in Gerardo Ribeiro’s class.

Rommel has attended the Lucerne Festival Academy in Switzerland, and the Tanglewood Music Center (TMC) in the United States, where he perfected his skills in chamber music and was concertmaster of the TMC Orchestra, under the baton of Bernard Haitink and James Levine. As a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, he worked with Andris Nelsons, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Barenboim, David Robertson, Gidon Kremer, Lorin Maazel, Pierre Boulez and Pinchas Zukerman. He was also a guest musician with Boston and Chicago symphonies.

Praised by critics for his “superb performance and aristocratic musicality” and for his “modern, yet elegant and vibrant reinterpretation” of the traditional repertoire, Rommel is currently active as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. He also appears as an interpreter of contemporary music, having presented the world premieres of works by several Brazilian and foreign composers, as well as Brazilian premieres of pieces for violin solo, such as Pierre Boulez’s Anthèmes.