Marat Bisengaliev

Internationally-renowned violinist Marat Bisengaliev is the founding Music Director of the Symphony Orchestra of India. Described recently by The Times as a "brilliant violin soloist", Marat Bisengaliev has also been designated "a latter-day Ysaye" by the American Journal Fanfare. The New York Times says that "He has taken to heart a style of playing that was a hallmark of violin virtuosity early in the century”.

Marat was born in Kazakhstan in 1962 and made his debut at the age of nine. He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow with two of the legendary names in violin tuition: Boris Belinki and Valery Klimov. He was a prize-winner in 1988 at the Leipzig International Bach Competition, and in 1991 won first prize at the International NicanorZabaleta Competition in Spain, also receiving the Special Virtuoso Prize.

Since signing a major recording contract with Naxos and Marco Polo in 1991, Marat has produced a number of acclaimed recordings. His recording of the Mendelssohn Concertos (Northern Sinfonia) became Gramophone Critic's Choice of the Year in 1998. Fanfare nominated his recording of Havergal Brian’s concerto (BBC SSO) as Critics’ Choice 1994. Elgar: Re-discovered works for violin, Vol. 1 (Black Box) was nominated for the 1999 Gramophone Award and the second volume wasnamed by Classic FM as one of the “Top 5 Elgar recordings”. Sony BMG awarded him a Gold Disc for his recording Tlep by Karl Jenkins. In 2000, he received the 1st Platinum Tarlan Award and the Government Medal of Honour in Kazakhstan.

Marat has performed with orchestras around the globe including the English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish, Philharmonia, Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, BBC Ulster, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Mexico Symphony Orchestra, amongst others, playing in venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall.

Apart from the SOI, Marat has also founded two orchestras in his home country. In 2003, he founded the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. Their first CD—Karl Jenkins’ Requiem—was released on EMI and reached No.1 in the classical sales charts and was No.1 in Hall of Fame in Classic FM magazine. In 2012, he founded the Almaty Symphony Orchestra.

Highlights for the 2014-2015 season include concerts in New Zealand, China, USA, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mexico, India, Italy, France, Russia and the UK. An intensive recording schedule includes the album Virtuoso Violin and the Suite Nos. 1 & 2 - Shakarym&Abai, written by Karl Jenkins especially for Marat, to be released on Deutsche Grammophon.