Boris Kucharsky, Violin

Of Russian, Slovakian and German descent, Boris Kucharsky was born in Dortmund, Germany, in 1971.  At the age of 7 he started to play the violin and in 1984 was admitted to the Menuhin School in London.

So began the relationship that was to have a profound influence on Kucharsky: Yehudi Menuhin became his teacher and mentor, partnering him in Double Concertos and directing the orchestra with his protégé as soloist. It was Menuhin who in 1990 conducted the performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto that first laid the foundation for Boris Kucharsky's reputation as one of the outstanding violinists of his generation.

Other important contributors to Kucharsky's development were Igor Ozim at the Academy of Music in Cologne and Erick Friedman at Yale University.  His repertoire encompasses the whole spectrum from Baroque to Contemporary. Several composers have written works for him, including American composer Robert Aldridge and Slovakian composer Eugen Suchon, whose violin concerto "Fantasia and Burleska” is dedicated to Kucharsky. His recording of this concerto was awarded Best Classical Recording of the year in 1999. Kucharsky’s recent concert series of the complete cycle of Beethoven's violin sonatas has received great acclaim and is being released on CD.

He has appeared as soloist with orchestras such as the European Chamber Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Schwerin,  Suk Chamber Orchestra, Dortmund Philharmonic, Karlsbad Symphony Orchestra,  Kammerakademie Neuss and the Prague Chamber Orchestra, and has given recitals at many of the major European festivals, including Schleswig Holstein, Gstaad, Lichfield, Dvorak, and the BHS Slovakia festivals.

His busy trans-European schedule is interspersed with regular visits to the USA and the Far East, where he is a much sought-after guest in both concert halls and recording studios.

He plays the "Baron Knoop" by Carlo Bergonzi, Cremona 1735.