Alina Pogostkina (born 18 November 1983 in
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
) is a Russian-born German violinist.
Early life and education
Pogostkina is the daughter of two professional violinists. She began playing the violin at the age of four and quickly showed herself to have exceptional talent. She gave her first concerts at the age of five.
In 1992 the family moved to
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
, Germany, where the eight-year-old Alina and her parents initially had to make a living as street musicians.
Pogostkina has competed with success in several international violin competitions. She won the 1997
Louis Spohr
Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten symphonies, ...
Competition and in 2005 she won first prize at the Ninth
International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition
The International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, named after Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, is a competition for violinists up to age 30. It is held every five years in Helsinki. The first competition took place in year 1965, eight years after ...
in Helsinki, as well as a special prize for the best interpretation of the
Sibelius Violin Concerto.
[Vesa Sirén]
''From Busker to Sibelius Violin Competition winner''
From: ''Helsingin Sanomat'', 4 December 2005 At the time of her victory in the Sibelius competition, Pogostkina was studying at the
Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler"
' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German language, German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions ...
in Berlin, where she was a student of
Antje Weithaas
Antje Weithaas (born 1966) is a German classical violinist. Apart from solo recitals and chamber music performances, she has played with leading orchestras in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Career
Born in Guben, Weithaas studied at the H ...
. She currently lives in Berlin.
Career
Pogostkina has performed with many of the world's major orchestras. At the time of the Sibelius competition she played a modern violin. She played a
Stradivarius
A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are co ...
from the
Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben. Since February 2013, she has been playing the Stradivarius Sasserno (1717) from
Nippon Music Foundation
The Nippon Music Foundation (NMF) is an organisation under the supervision of the Arts and Culture Promotion Division, Agency for Cultural Affairs, a special body of the Japanese Ministry of Education. Established 3 March 1972, its stated purpose ...
.
External links
*
Website of the Jean Sibelius Violin CompetitionHelsingin Sanomat article about Pogostkina's victory in the Jean Sibelius Violin CompetitionAlina Pogostkina
HarrisonParrott management
Sibelius Violin Concerto
References
German classical violinists
Russian classical violinists
1983 births
Living people
Prize-winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition
International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition prize-winners
Eurovision Young Musicians Finalists
21st-century classical violinists
21st-century German musicians
21st-century women musicians
Women classical violinists
{{violinist-stub