Alena Baeva

Described as “a magnetic presence” and “a constantly fascinating sound technician” (New York Classical Review), violinist Alena Baeva is considered one of the most exciting, versatile, and alluring soloists active on the world stage today.

Baeva’s career as an international soloist of the highest renown has grown at an extraordinary pace over recent seasons. European highlights include appearances with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Göteborgs Symfoniker, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Île de France, Orchestre National du Capitôle de Toulouse, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and in recital at the Wigmore Hall. In Asia, recent and upcoming performances include those with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst others. She makes a series of major North American debuts in the 2023/2024 season, including with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and The Phoenix Symphony.

Baeva enjoys strong musical partnerships with many of the world’s leading conductors, and has the pleasure of working with such renowned maestros as Teodor Currentzis, Charles Dutoit, Gustavo Gimeno, Marek Janowski, Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Tomáš Netopil, and Hugh Wolff. Chamber music holds a particularly special place in her musical life, where she enjoys collaborations with such esteemed artists as Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Daishin Kashimoto, Misha Maisky, Lawrence Power, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Tabea Zimmermann, and the Belcea Quartet. Her regular sonata partner is the celebrated Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko (2013 Van Cliburn Gold Medalist), with whom she has established a dedicated musical partnership of more than a decade.

Possessing an extraordinary memory and passionate musical curiosity, Baeva holds an already vast and rapidly expanding active repertoire, including over fifty violin concerti. She is a champion of lesser-known works alongside the more mainstream violin literature, with recent performances promoting such composers as Bacewicz, Karaev, Karłowicz, and Silvestrov. She enjoys a long-standing and rewarding relationship with the Orchestra of the XVIII Century, performing and recording a variety of repertoire on period instruments. Their 2022 recording (Wieniawski Violin Concerto No.2) was crowned ‘Recording of the Month’ by BBC Music Magazine, who declared it to be “essential listening”.

Baeva’s wider discography is extensive, and reflects the impressive breadth of her repertoire. Recordings include Shostakovich Violin Concerto No.2 (part of the Mariinsky Theatre/Valery Gergiev box-set DVD collection, released by Arthaus Musik in 2015); the Karłowicz Violin Concerto (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 2018); and the Schumann Violin Concerto and original (1844) version of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (for Melodiya Records, 2020).

Since 2023, Baeva records exclusively for leading label Alpha Classics. The first project of her multi-disc deal with the label is released in February 2024.

Alena Baeva took her first violin lessons at the age of five under renowned pedagogue Olga Danilova, before moving to Moscow, Russia, at the age of 10 to study with Professor Eduard Grach at the Central School of Music and the State Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. In addition to her formal education, she took lessons with Mstislav Rostropovich and Boris Garlitsky, in Switzerland with Seiji Ozawa, and in Israel with Shlomo Mintz (at Keshet Eilon Music Center).

At only 16 years of age, Baeva won the Grand Prix at the 12th International Henryk Wieniawski Competition (2001), as well as the Prize for Best Performance of a Contemporary Work. Following this, she went on to take the Grand Prix at the Moscow International Niccolò Paganini Competition (2004), including a Special Prize allowing her to perform on the 1723 Wieniawski Stradivari for one year, and was awarded both the Gold Medal and the Audience Prize at the Sendai International Violin Competition (2007).

Since 2010, Alena Baeva resides in Luxembourg with her husband and three children, and plays on the “ex-William Kroll” Guarneri del Gesù of 1738 – on generous loan from an anonymous patron, with the kind assistance of J&A Beares.