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The Tatar and Russian violinist, Alina Ibragimova, was born to a musical family, and began playing the violin at the age of 4. As 5 she started at the Gnessin State Musical College in Moscow, studying under Valentina Korolkova, and by the age of 6 had started her career by playing with various orchestras, including the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra. In 1996 her father took up the post of principal bass with the London Symphony Orchestra, and the family moved to live in England. In the following year she began her studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School (where her mother is professor of violin) under Natasha Boyarskaya. In December 1998 she performed with Nicola Benedetti at the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at UNESCO in Paris; they played J.S. Bach's double violin concerto (BWV 1043) under the baton of Yehudi Menuhin. Menuhin died three months later, and Ibragimova performed the slow movement of the same concerto at his funeral in Westminster Abbey. In 1999, she was the youngest-ever winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society's Emily Anderson Prize.
After finishing her studies at the Yehudi Menuhin School, Alina Ibragimova went on to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for a year, and then to the Royal College of Music in London, studying under Gordan Nikolitch and Adrian Butterfield (for Baroque and classical violin). Together with other students from the Royal College, she formed the period-instrument string quartet Chiaroscuro, specialising in music from the classical period. Alina continues her studies with Christian Tetzlaff as part of the Kronberg Academy Masters. After winning several international competitions, in 2002 Ibragimova won the London Symphony Orchestra Music Scholarship (formerly the Shell Prize), which was an important boost to her solo career. The biggest breakthrough for her, however, came in 2005, when she played and directed W.A. Mozart's second violin concerto with the Kremerata Baltica at the Salzburg Mozarteum.
With repertoire extending from Baroque to contemporary works, Alina Ibragimova's recent engagements have included her BBC Proms debut with the London Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Kammerorchester, Britten Sinfonia, Philharmonia Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Symphony Orchestra, working with conductors including Sir Charles Mackerras, Osmo Vänskä, Yannick Nèzet-Séguin, Jac van Steen and Gianandrea Noseda.
Alina Ibragimova made her debut as soloist/director with the Kremerata Baltica during Salzburg Mozartwoche 2005, and has since performed with the Kremerata and Gidon Kremer at Salle Pleyel Paris, Mozartwoche 2008, and the Salzburg, Verbier and MDR Musiksommer festivals. She also collaborates regularly as soloist/director with the Britten Sinfonia and recently toured with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, directing from the violin. Alina has performed solo recitals, duo recitals, and chamber music, at the Musée du Louvre Paris, Wigmore Hall London, for NHK Television in Japan and at festivals including Salzburg, Verbier, City of London, Lockenhaus, Heimbach, Aldeburgh and Moritzburg. She was a member of the BBC New Generation Artists Scheme 2005-7, appearing frequently on BBC Radio 3 (including as part of BBC Radio 3's Bach Christmas Festival) and with all the BBC orchestras.
Alina Ibragimova records for Hyperion Records for whom she has made CD's of the complete violin works of Karl Amadeus Hartmann (released in September 2007), violin concertos by Roslavets, a Szymanowski recital disc with Cédric Tiberghien, and the J.S. Bach Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006).
Alina Ibragimova performs on a 1738 Pietro Guarneri of Venice violin, kindly provided by Georg von Opel, and is a recipient of a 2008 Borletti-Buitoni Trust award. |
