Ulf Hoelschers' first teacher at the age of seven was his father Ferdinand Hoelscher and by the age of ten Bruno Masurat.

He later studied with Max Rostal in Cologne, and for three years in the United States with Josef Gingold at the Indiana University and with Paul Makanowitzky and Ivan Galamian at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

On his return to Europe, he quickly established a reputation as one of the leading violinists of his generation.

His exceptionally broad repertoire is reflected in his award winning recordings a.o. for EMI he recorded the complete works for violin and orchestra of Camille Saint-Saens with the New Philharmonia Orchestra London conduted by Pierre Derveaux, Beethoven Violinconcerto (Dresdner Staatskapelle), Tripelconcerto with Heinrich Schiff and Christian Zacharias (Masur conducting the Gewandthausorchester Leipzig), Brahms, Korngold, and Otmar Schoeck (English Chamber Orchestra, Howard Griffith). Strauss, Tschaikovsky, Berg, and Spohr whose whole work for Violin and Orchestra Ulf Hoelscher recorded with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin.