Konstantin Boyarsky

Violist (England)
Represented in Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden).

Following a performance at the Purcell Room of Telemann’s Viola Concerto in G, a reviewer in ‘The Strad’ magazine wrote in 1998: ”…as a showcase for burgeoning talent it was violist Konstantin Boyarsky who stole the limelight. Clearly he’s a name to watch”.

Konstantin Boyarsky was born in Russia in 1976 into a family of musicians and began playing the violin at the age of six. He attended the music school affiliated to the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow where he studied with Professor Inna Gauhman until 1990.

From an early age he took part in public concerts at prestigious venues including the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. At the age of thirteen his musical talent was recognised in a special award for the performing arts given by the Russian Fund for Culture.

At the age of fourteen he emigrated with his family to England and for three years he attended the Yehudi Menuhin School and then in 1994 Konstantin commenced a BMus (Hons) course at the Royal College of Music where he studied the violin and viola with Felix Andrievsky.

During his time at the college he had received a major award from the Ian Fleming Charitable Trust and a Special award from the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund as a result of which he performed the Schnittke Viola Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra at St John’s Smith Square in London. The Strad Magazin wrote about this performance: “…Boyarsky’s broad, mellow tone with its glassy venner was well suited to Schnittke’s plaintive yet eminently expressive oeuvre…”

Konstantin has given many solo recitals and taken part in chamber music performances in England as well as in Italy, France, Austria and Germany, working with such distingueshed musicians as Yehudi Menuhin, Pinchas Zukerman, Andrew Davis, the members of the Chilingirian Quartet, and Vanessa Mae. He has appeared at the Gstaad Festival (Switzerland) and in London he has performed in venues such as the Barbican Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, St, John’s Smith Square and Buckingham Palace. He has also played at Fairfield Hall, Croydon.

Konstantin is also an accomplished composer. In collaboration with choreographer Matthew Hart and ‘Focus on Dance’ ballet company he wrote the music (for solo violin and strings) for a ballet entitled Sleepers which was inspired by the assassination of the Romanov Family. This ballet was performed by members of the Royal Ballet School with the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra and in December 1995 it was the subject of a feature screened on LWT’s South Bank Show. A subsequent composition - a ballet suite Children of War, inspired by the conflict in Bosnia - was sponsored by Schweppes Europe and recorded in November 1996 by the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra.

One of the World’s most famous violists, Yuri Bashmet wrote about Konstantin Boyarsky:

“The most promising and gifted player… His outstanding individuality and unique talent make him one of this generation’s leading young musicians.”