Violinist

Rimma Sushanskaya is an internationally acclaimed violinist with a distinguished career in performing and recording.

Early career

The Washington Post described her as “one of the greatest violinists alive today”

Rimma was born in St Petersburg, Russia, and was the final student and protégée of the renowned Soviet violinist David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatoire. Widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of the twentieth century, Oistrakh’s guidance helped shape her early career, during which she won numerous prestigious prizes and awards.

Following her departure from the Soviet Union, Rimma quickly established an international reputation in the West. The Washington Post described her as “one of the greatest violinists alive today,” praising her “extraordinary intensity and brilliant virtuosity.”

Rimma Sushanskaya
Rimma Sushanskaya

In 2007, Rimma was awarded the Order of Catherine the Great of Russia by the National Committee of the Russian Federation of Social Awards, in recognition of her achievements in music and her contribution to strengthening cultural relations between Russia and Great Britain.

Teaching

Rimma has served as a visiting lecturer in violin at the Birmingham Conservatoire and has taught on the annual residential Virtuoso Violin Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Major performances

  • Serenata Concertante by Robert Matthew-Walker — world première
  • Oboe Concerto with Strings by Guy Woolfenden — performed in celebration of the composer’s 70th birthday
  • Partita No. 4 for Violin and Orchestra by Lev Smirnov — British première, in memory of the composer, a friend from St Petersburg

Commissioned works

  • 1988: Violin Concerto by David Finko
  • 1988: Idyll for Solo Violin by Malcolm Lipkin
  • 1997: Elegy for Violin and Orchestra by Bruce Polay

Awards and prizes

  • First Prize, International Violin Competition, Prague
  • Ysaye Medal, awarded by the Eugène Ysaÿe Foundation, Brussels
  • Order of Catherine the Great of Russia, awarded by the National Committee of the Russian Federation of Social Awards, in recognition of achievements in music and contributions to cultural relations between Russia and Great Britain

Rimma also maintains a distinguished career as a conductor, dividing her time between New York, London, and Stratford-upon-Avon as a performer, conductor, and teacher.