Ivan Skanavi

“Utterly remarkable virtuosity” (Colin Clarke, Verbier Festival 2021)

Ivan Skanavi, winner of the 2022 Grand-Prix Emanuel Feuermann, is one of the leading cellists of his generation, captivating audiences with his broad stylistic sound spectrum, clear projection and vast range of colours.

"He masterfully possesses all the possible shades of sound produced by his instrument (that also highly benefits his arrangements). He knows how to reveal the best of its melodic character, and he really dares to show his true expression, that, unfortunately, can hardly be said about many soloists nowadays. He does not fixate on speed, and therefore on virtuosity, but he understands the art of letting music breathe, even in fast passages." (Opus Klassiek, Aart van der Wal about Skanavi’s debut CD “Dimensions” released on “decurio”).

Skanavi began exploring the cello at the age of six in Moscow under the renowned Tamara Alekseeva. He continued in Moscow Conservatory in the class of Alexey Seleznev and later by Alexander Rudin, before moving to Germany to study with in University of music FRANZ LISZT in Weimar (with his current professor). In the following years Skanavi has further expanded his skillset by participating in numerous masterclasses with esteemed international pedagogues, such as David Geringas, Natalia Gutman, Ivan Monighetti, Gary Hoffman, Steven Isserlis, Frans Helmerson, Alban Gerhardt, Jerome Pernoo, Norbert Anger, Thorleif Thedeen, Claudio Bohorquez, Julius Berger, Jens Peter Maintz, Eckart Runge, Laszlo Fenyo and Boris Andrianov.

Combining a fruitful chamber music career with frequent solo performances, Skanavi’s resume includes a number of high-profile festivals such as Verbier Music Festival, Kronberg Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Gezeitenkonzerte, “I Mozartini” Festival (Italy), International Mstislav Rostropovich Festival (Baku, Azerbaijan), Reeperbahn Festival (Hamburg), Vadim Repin Trans-Siberian Art Festival (Siberia), Musik in den Häusern der Stadt (Hamburg), and Beethoven Tage (Germany), amongst others.

Following Skanavi’s successes at the XVI Tchaikovsky International Competition and ARD International Competition (2019), he debuted at the Moscow Philharmonic with the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra in 2020. Further notable solo performances with orchestras include collaborations with the Rundfunk- Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Kammerphilharmonie „Metamorphosen Berlin“, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Musica Viva Orchestra, Academic Symphonic Orchestra in the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic, Moscow Chamber Orchestra of Pavel Slobodkin Center, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, Moscow Conservatory Orchestra, Kurgan Symphony Orchestra, Gota Philharmonie, Siberian Symphony Orchestra and many more.

Awarded with multiple prizes beyond his latest triumphs of 1st prize at the Russian National Cello Competition and the special prize for outstanding performance of the sonata by Alfred Schnittke at the ‘Ton & Erklärung’ Cello Competition in Hannover, Skanavi has also been supported by various organisations throughout his career. He is a scholarship holder at the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein and Tonali gGmbH Hamburg, as well as the Tonalisten Agentur (in partnership with Harrison Parrott).

Aside from his performance career, Skanavi is an active teacher and holds the position of a Visiting Professor in LPMAM (London Performing Academy of music). Skanavi plays a cello by venetian maker Matteo Goffriller from ca.1720.

Since April 2023, he has been studying at Kronberg Academy with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, funded by the Family Ellmauer patronage.