BIOGRAPHY

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 is one of the most in-demand soloists.

Born in 1974, he began his career as a solo violinist at the age of five, won the Wieniawski and Carl Flesch international competitions at ages 10 and 15 respectively, studied with Galina Tourchaninova and Zakhar Bron, made his first recording at the age of 10, and went on to record extensively for high-profile labels including Melodia, Teldec and EMI, earning among others, Grammy and Gramophone artist of the year awards.

In 2007 he followed in the footsteps of his mentor, the late Mstislav Rostropovich, and turned his attention to conducting and in 2010 was appointed the first chief conductor of the Gstaad Festival Orchestra. June 2014 saw Mr Vengerov graduate with a Diploma of Excellence from the Moscow Institute of Ippolitov-Ivanov with professor Yuri Simonov and he has since finished a further 2-year program of opera conducting.

In recent years, as a violinist, he has opened the season of the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala with Riccardo Chailly and the Shanghai International Music Festival with Christoph Eschenbach. He also celebrated 40 years on stage with a sold-out Royal Albert Hall concert, performing both Brahms’s Violin Concerto and Double Concerto, and toured in recital around the world. His 50th birthday celebrations in the 2024–2025 season included the launch of his three-season Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall which will see him perform over 12 concerts over the next three seasons partnering up with other famous musicians including Ivan Fischer, Evgeny Kissin, Yefim Bronfman, Alisa Weilerstein, Steven Isserliss, Sir Antonio Pappano and Martha Argerich.

In 2020 Maxim Vengerov became Classic FM’s first solo Artist in Residence and released a new recording of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with conductor Myung-Whun Chung and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, coupled with works by Saint-Säens. A new live video recording of the Tchaikovsky Concerto from the Konzerthaus Vienna concert from November 2025 with Maestro Chung and the Tokyo Philharmonic orchestra is now available on Maxim Vengerov’s You Tube channel as well as Mezzo and Medici. He also made a live recording of his 2018 Carnegie Hall recital.

As one of Mr Vengerov’s greatest passions is the teaching and encouraging of young talent, he has held various teaching positions around the world, including the Mozarteum University Salzburg as well as the Royal College of Music and Royal Academy of Music in London. In 2018 Maxim Vengerov became the Goodwill Ambassador of the Musica Mundi School – a unique institution, which supports young talents. With the vision of democratising the access of music learning, he launched his own online platform in January 2021: www.maximvengerov.com and created an impact across 170 countries and over 190 million reach. His first year programs include partnerships with musical institutions from around the world, the Lottery Ticket program, guest artist series inaugurated with Brett Yang from TwoSet Violin, as well as his new global community group who’s initiatives include the world leading Mentoring program, rural musical communities initiative and the Musical Pen Pals program for children.

Mr Vengerov has been profiled in a series of documentaries, including Playing by Heart, which was recorded by Channel Four Television and screened at the Cannes Television Festival in 1999, and Living the Dream, which was released worldwide and received the Gramophone Award for Best Documentary in 2008.Mr Vengerov has received prestigious fellowships and honours from a number of institutions. In 2012 he was awarded an Honorary Visiting Fellowship at Trinity College Oxford and in 2019 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Music London and in 2019 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal College of Music London.

Mr Vengerov has also received numerous awards including Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (with Orchestra) (2003), two Gramophone awards (1994, 1995), a Classical Brit Award (2004), five Edison Classical Music Awards (1995, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004), two ECHO awards (1997, 2003) and a World Economic Forum Crystal award (2007) - honoring artists who have used their art to improve the state of the world, as well as the Ordre du Chevallier from the Palace in Monte Carlo where he resides.

He plays the ex-Kreutzer Stradivari (1727) among other instruments. 

(January 2026. No element can be changed prior to approval with his management NFBM Ltd.) 

Long Bio
(English)