Ilya Finkelshteyn, Principal Cello

photo by Christian Colberg

Praised by the Washington Post as a “complete master of his instrument,” cellist Ilya Finkelshteyn has performed throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. In 2002 he became Principal Cello of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Yuri Temirkanov. Prior to that, Mr. Finkelshteyn was a member of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for five seasons under the late Hans Vonk.

Prize winner of such competitions as the Concertino Praga, Russian Cello Competition, the WAMSO International Competition, the Aspen Concerto Competition, and the Chautauqua Concerto Competition, Ilya Finkelshteyn has appeared as a soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Civic Orchestra, the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra.

As a winner of the Juilliard Concerto Competition, Mr. Finkelshteyn was a soloist with the Juilliard Orchestra on its tours to France and Bermuda. He appeared at the Aspen, Marlboro, Mostly Mozart, Bay Chamber and Peninsula Music Festivals and has collaborated with András Schiff, Hilary Hahn, David Soyer, Richard Goode, Joseph Silverstein, Steven Ansell, Harold Robinson, and Vadim Repin. Mr. Finkelshteyn has been heard on Wisconsin Public Radio, Maine Public Radio, KFUO-FM in St. Louis, and WYPR in Baltimore.

Ilya Finkelshteyn started his education at the Special Music School at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under the tutelage of Sergei Chernyadiev. After immigrating to the United States, he studied one year at the University of Minnesota School of Music with Tanya Remenikova and six years at the Juilliard School with Harvey Shapiro, where he was coached by Felix Galimir, Samuel Sanders, and members of the Juilliard String Quartet.

Mr. Finkelshteyn’s cello is a Francesco Gofriller, c. 1725.