Vlad Hontila was born in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and began playing the violin at age seven. From an early age, he demonstrated exceptional talent and ambition, participating in National Olympiads and the J.S. Bach National Violin Competition, where he won first and second prizes for five consecutive years.

In 2015, he received the President’s International String Quartet Scholarship, a full award that brought him to the United States to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Performance at Western Illinois University under Dr. Julieta Mihai. During his four years there, he served as Concertmaster of both the Chamber and Symphony Orchestras.

In 2019, Vlad was awarded the prestigious Robert Mann Endowed Scholarship for Violin and Chamber Studies at Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Lucie Robert. After completing his master’s degree, he continued in the Professional Studies program for an additional year. During his three years at MSM, he was selected as Concertmaster for multiple orchestral cycles under maestro George Manahan. He also studied chamber music with Peter Winograd and Nicholas Mann and won the Lilian Fuchs Chamber Music Competition with two different ensembles. In 2022, he received the Kraeuter Musical Foundation Award for excellence in chamber music performance.

Now based in New York City, Vlad performs actively as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral violinist. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, Madison Square Garden, and Radio City Music Hall. In 2015, he won his first professional orchestral audition with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, where he continues to perform as a first violinist. His lifelong passion for chamber music and solo repertoire continues to shape his artistic growth and exploration