Boris Kuschnir

Boris Kuschnir (born 1948) is an Austrian violinist and academic.

Background and early life

Born in Kiev^[1] in 1948, he studied violin with Boris Belenky at the Moscow Conservatoire and chamber music with Valentin Berlinsky of the Borodin Quartet.

Career

In 1982 became an Austrian citizen. He is a Professor at the Konservatorium Wien University since 1984 and also a distinguished Professor at the University of Music in Graz since 1999.

Playing in various chamber music ensembles, he co-founded the Wiener Schubert Trio in 1984,^[2] the Vienna Brahms Trio in 1993 and the Kopelman Quartet in 2002.

Students

Several of Kuschnir's students were successful at international violin competitions: Julian Rach­lin (1st Prize Euro­vi­sion Grand Prix for Young Musi­cians, Ams­ter­dam 1988), Nikolaj Znaider (1st Prize of the Queen Elisa­beth Com­pet­i­tion, Brus­sels 1997), Lidia Baich (1st Prize Euro­vi­sion Grand Prix for Young Musi­cians, Vienna 1998), Dalibor Kar­vay (1st Prize Euro­vi­sion Grand Prix for Young Musi­cians, Ber­lin 2002; 1st Prize Inter­na­tional Tibor Varga Com­pet­i­tion, Switzer­land 2003; 1st Prize David Ois­trakh Com­pet­i­tion, Moscow 2008), Alex­an­dra Soumm (1st Prize Euro­vi­sion Grand Prix for Young Musi­cians, Lucerne 2004), Lorenzo Gatto (2nd Prize Queen Eliza­beth Com­pet­i­tion, Brus­sels 2009), Pavel Mily­ukov (1st Prize Aram Khachaturian International Competition, 2012, 2nd Prize Seoul Inter­na­tional Music Com­pet­i­tion, 2012) and Eugene Chep­ovet­sky (2nd Prize David Ois­trakh Inter­na­tional Com­pet­i­tion, Moscow 2008 and 3rd Prize Luois Spohr Competition, 2013), Yuuki Wong (2nd Prize Michael Hill Competition, New Zealand 2007), Julia Turnovsky (3rd Prize David Ois­trakh Inter­na­tional Com­pet­i­tion, Moscow 2008)

and Aleksey Igudesman (Igudesman & Joo). In addition to this he educated more than 40 laureates of national and international competitions. His pupils have been appointed Professors at Universities, playing in various chamber music ensembles and orchestras of the world – 6 of his students play at the Vienna Philharmonics.

Violin Competitions

Kuschnir gives mas­ter­classes at renowned classical music events like the Verbier Festival Academy and Kronberg Academy. He appears as a jury mem­ber of vari­ous inter­na­tional music com­pet­i­tions such as the Queen Eliza­beth Music Com­pet­i­tion in Brus­sels, Tchaikovsky Com­pet­i­tion in Moscow, the Inter­na­tional Violin Com­pet­i­tion of Indi­ana­polis, Nic­colò Paganini Com­pet­i­tion in Genua, the Jacques Thibaud Com­pet­i­tion in Paris, Joseph Joachim Com­pet­i­tion in Han­nover, Tibor Varga Com­pet­i­tion in Switzer­land, Michael Hill Com­pet­i­tion in New Zea­l­and, Euro­vi­sion Com­pet­i­tion, David Ois­trakh Com­pet­i­tion in Moscow, Pablo de Sarasate Com­pet­i­tion in Pamplona, George Enescu Com­pet­i­tion in Bucharest, Seoul International Music Competition, Violin Mas­ters in Monte Carlo, Louis Spohr Competition in Weimar, Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition in Fermo, Aram Khachaturian International Competition in Jerewan and the Yankelevitch International Violin Competition in Omsk.

Chamber Music

In 1984 Boris Kuschnir founded the Wiener Schubert Trio which received many prestigious awards, among them the 1. Prize at the international Chamber Music Competition Sergio Lorenzi in Trieste, the Mozart Interpretationspreis 1988 in Vienna and the Prize of the Ernst von Siemens Foundation 1990.

Kuschnir foun­ded the Vienna Brahms Trio in 1993. In 1996, the Trio won First Prize at the 9th Inter­na­tional Cham­ber Music Com­pet­i­tion in Illzach, France. Their record­ing of Schumann’s com­plete works for Piano trio was released on the Naxos label in 1999.

He was co-founder of the Kopel­man Quar­tet in 2002 with which he is giv­ing con­certs all over the world since and has released CDs at Nim­bus Records and Wig­more Hall Live.

Violin

Boris Kuschnir plays a violin made by Antonio Stradivari, the “ex Rouse-Boughton”, made in Cremona, 1698. It was given to him as a loan in 1991 by the Austrian National Bank in recognition of his artistic performance and his service rendered to music.

References