Dear Friends,

I’ve created this site so you can find out more about me, what I've done in the past, and what I'm up to currently. I look forward to connecting with you at my concerts and masterclasses.

- Maxim

Universally hailed as one of the world’s finest musicians, and often referred to as the greatest living string player in the world today, Grammy Award winner Maxim Vengerov also enjoys international acclaim as a conductor and has held teaching positions in the world's leading conservatoires throughout his career.

The Violinist

From my first public debut at the age of 5, I dreamt of playing for people all over the world. I believe that music is a universal way to connect people regardless of their political or geographical belonging. Till date, I've played over 3,000 concerts and am glad to have spread the joy of music making with audiences around the globe.

Depending on repertoire, I play on different instruments and bows, but most of the time I bring to concerts my faithful companion that has been with me since 1998 - the legendary 1727 "Kreutzer" Stradivari.

I’m proud to be deeply rooted in the tradition of Franco-Belgian and Russian violin schools. My favorite violinists are Fritz Kreisler, Eugène Ysaÿe, George Enescu, David Oistrakh and Jascha Heifetz to name a few.

The Conductor

A violin has four strings, while an orchestra has hundreds. Being a conductor has deepened and expanded my horizons in music. Having a solo career as a violinist can be lonely at times. That's why it is such a fulfilling way to share the music making process with colleagues from orchestras.

To be a conductor is to be a “musical chef," the man behind the scenes, who must acknowledge the fact that the only instrument of the conductor is the orchestra, and each member has its distinct voice with which you must instantly build an almost telepathic connection. That challenge is an extremely humbling experience that I enjoy.

Both of my conducting teachers, Vag Papian and Yuri Simonov, are rooted in the German-Russian conducting schools. It was a true pleasure learning from these great Maestros and it is my goal to pass on their teachings to the next generation.

The Educator

There are many exceptional talents in the world. However, only a few of them are lucky to find teachers that would help them realize their full potential, and open doors into the wonderful world of music. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found the greatest teachers in violin playing, conducting and other musical disciplines.

Since the age of 26, I feel obliged to give back and to pass on the torch to my younger colleagues, all the precious knowledge I have received from my musical gurus.

Being a teacher comes with a great responsibility as anything you say will affect your students not only in music, but also in their lives.

The Recording Artist

I have always been fascinated by recordings as a child. For my sixth birthday, my father gave me a tape recorder which greatly motivated me to practice because when I recorded myself, it was as if I was indirectly playing for others. I would play over and over again, listening back until I became satisfied with the results.

When I was 10, I received an invitation from the Russian label Melodia to record my first LP. After two days of recording I felt I was a different violinist. With the help of the recording producer, I was learning how to make studio recordings sound not only perfect, but also to make it sound as if I was playing a live concert.

Having witnessed the evolution of recordings from LPs to CDs and now in digital format, we are lucky to have a wide selection of materials to study from and enjoy. I am truly fortunate to be a part of this generation!

Teachers & Mentors

My personal gratitude to my guiding forces through my life and career.

Galina Turchaninova

Galina Turchaninova was a student of Boris Sergeev from St. Petersburg (Leningrad, Russia). Those five and a half years of studying with her were my first steps in my native town, Novosibirsk, Russia.

I could not have dreamt of a better teacher. It was never easy, nevertheless, she will always be my musical mother. Her attitude towards violin was to learn to play just as a child learns to walk and to speak.

Her teaching was tough but fair. In fact, she has actually never treated me like a child. To be fully prepared for lessons with her, I had to practice up to 7-8 hours a day with the help of my mother. Was this the right way to treat a child? It’s a big question because she used to remind me that “talent comes with a price”. As a result and before I even realised it, at the age of 7, I was already playing the Mendelssohn violin concerto and at the age of 8, Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole along with other pieces.

Later on, after my studies with her, each time I visited Moscow with concerts, seeing her again gave me warm feelings and it was like going back to my tough but memorable childhood.

Her passing in May 2020 shortly after her 90th birthday made me realise that I was so lucky to have studied with her. I am honoured and certainly entitled to call myself a follower of the great Russian traditions of violin playing.

May God bless her soul!

Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich was undeniably one of the greatest musician of the 20th century.

It’s rare for one person to have so many unique qualities. Being a genius in music, at the same time he was very humble. Rostropovich has studied composition with Prokofiev and instrumentation with Shostakovich. In his early years he has written quite a few orchestral, instrumental and chamber works. Once I asked him as to why he has never published any of them? He replied: “Having had teachers like I had, I did not dare to publish any of my own compositions, so I burned them all!”

Maestro was an incredibly generous person. His infectious energy would transform any event and would turn it to magic.

He was someone you could call a Guru – musical Saint who knew no boundaries. His musical wisdom has been a source of inspiration to all people who cared to listen to his voice. Whether he was playing, conducting or teaching, he would use the power of Music to defend the true values in life. He stood up for the universal truth, and fought for it tirelessly as a warrior of light with a bow in his hand. He was a very deep and lighthearted personality at the same time. His sense of humour could break any ice wall. His vivid imagination brought him to another dimension of human state of mind. Nothing was impossible for Slava! He has lived up to the meaning of his name – Slava! – which stands for Glory from russian translation. The Glorious Mstislav Rostropovich has set new “Absolute” standards in performing arts (and also drinking quantities of vodka) and has influenced many generations of musicians.

At our first meeting he said to me – “When you interpret a musical work, most important is what you think about while you play it”. Musician is an important link from composer to the audience. If you wish to use music to express your own emotions, better become a composer yourself. But once you decide to play Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Ravel or Shostakovich, you have to be a different person in each of these works. The color of your sound should be so different, so, the listener could hardly recognize your own style. That quality distinguishes a true artist from just a good instrumentalist”.

Through Rostropovich’s recordings and performances he connected us with the spirit of the great composers of his epoch: Schostakovich, Prokofiev, Britten, Dutilleux to mention a few who dedicated their works to him. The passion for music, a true unconditional love for life and his genuine trust in people was so strong, he has inspired millions around the world to make a change, so, with Music the world would become a better place.

I have been so fortunate to learn from Maestro and to collaborate with him for 17 years.

In my heart Slava is immortal.