Georgy Kovalev

Georgy Kovalev, born in 1990 in Tiflis (Georgia), is one of the leading violists of his generation. He studied with Yuri Bashmet in Moscow, Matthias Buchholz in Cologne and Nobuko Imai at the Kronberg Academy. He finished his studies with Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin.

Georgy Kovalev has performed with leading orchestras such as the Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra, New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra and the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra among others.

He is a prize winner and a finalist of international competitions such as the Yuri Bashmet International Competition in Moscow, Tokyo International Viola Competition and the Johannes Brahms International Competition. In 2011 he received the Neva Foundation Prize awarded by the Verbier Festival.

His chamber music partners included Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Steven Isserlis, Yuri Bashmet, Fazil Say, Frans Helmerson, Emanuel Ax, Jörg Widmann, Viviane Hagner, Claudio Bohórquez, Lawrence Lesser, at renowned international music festivals such as Schubertiade, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Rheingau Festival and the Kronberg Academy Festival.

Georgy Kovalev has performed at concert venues such as the Victoria Hall (Geneva), Theatre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), Cologne Philharmonic Hall, Kioi Hall (Tokyo), Prinz Regent Theater Hall (Munich), Gordon Bennett Hall (Chicago) and the Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory.

Georgy Kovalev plays a viola by Simon Bernand Fendt (London 1820) kindly loaned to him by the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.

From 2013 to 2016, he studied at Kronberg Academy with Nobuko Imai.