Maxim Rysanov

Grammy nominated Ukrainian-British violist and conductor Maxim Rysanov has established himself as one of the world's most vibrant and charismatic musicians. As a violist, he is a frequent guest at events such as BBC Last Night of the Proms and the festivals of Edinburgh, Salzburg and Verbier. Among his concerto highlights he counts the following: the Mariinsky Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Residentie Orkest the Hague, Seattle Symphony, Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony, European Union Youth Orchestra, Spanish National Orchestra and Hong Kong International Music Festival.

Parallel to playing viola, Maxim enjoys a thriving career as a conductor, often combining conducting and directing as a soloist within one concert. He studied conducting with Alan Hazeldine at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and has appeared with many orchestras across the world.

Maxim is a keen chamber musician. His chamber partners include Maxim Vengerov, Janine Jansen, Mischa Maisky, Gidon Kremer, Nicola Benedetti, Vadim Repin, Augustin Dumay, Viktoria Mullova, Alexander Sitkovetsky, Sol Gabetta, Leif Ove Andsnes, Denis Matsuev, Alessio Bax, Michael Collins, Martin Frost, Alice Coote, Freddy Kempf and Yeol Eum Son among others.

His enthusiasm for new music generates many exciting collaborations which extend the viola repertoire. This includes world premieres by Dobrinka Tabakova, Peteris Vasks, Richard Dubugnon and Valentin Bibik. Other composers with whom Maxim has developed a close working relationship include Benjamin Yusupov, Leonid Desyatnikov, Giya Kancheli, Artem Vassiliev and Elena Langer and most recently Gabriel Prokofiev.

Maxim's recordings have gained numerous award nominations including Gramophone Editor's Choice, ECHO and ICMA. Maxim featured as both soloist and conductor on the debut disc of composer Dobrinka Tabakova (ECM) in 2013 - a disc that reached number two in the UK classical charts and was shortlisted for a Grammy Award. His last album “In Schubert’s company” was selected as Gramophone Critic’s Choice of the Year.

Maxim is a recipient of various awards, including the Gramophone Young Artist of the Year Award and the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Award. He is also a prize-winner at the Geneva, Lionel Tertis and Valentino Bucchi competitions. He studied viola with Maria Sitkovskaya in Moscow and John Glickman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama London. He is delighted to have a Giuseppe Guadagnini viola (1780) on extended loan from the Elise Mathilde Foundation.

Faculties / departments: Strings

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