SUMMARY

Ksenia Berezina is a London-based violinist, pursuing a versatile career as a teacher, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Ksenia is a member of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

She has played under many distinguished conductors, such as Antonio Pappano, Barry Wordsworth, Vladimir Jurowski, Andris Nelsons, Mark Elder, and Edward Gardner.

BACKGROUND

Ksenia was born in Russia in 1985 and imbibed music at an early age through her mother’s role as a choreographer. At the age of nine, she won 1st prize in the National Young String Players competition held in Yekaterinburg. She studied in Moscow with Alexey Gulianitzcky at the Central Music School then with Igor Frolov at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, from where she graduated with distinction in 2009. She then moved to London, supported by a Leverhulme Trust scholarship, to study with Dr. Felix Andrievsky at the Royal College of Music, where she received a Masters degree in Advanced Performance in 2011. She was invited to stay a further two years at the Royal College, through the award of the Richard Carne Junior Fellowship. In this role, she coached chamber ensembles and founded the competition “Ensemble with Piano”.

TEACHER

At the Moscow Conservatoire Ksenia was awarded a Teaching Diploma and, since then, she has enhanced her teaching skills and experience through extensive private tuition, both in Russia and subsequently in London. Her pupils have won prizes at music competitions such as the Marlow Festival and the North London Festival. Also, her pupils have won places or scholarships at specialist music schools such as the Purcell School, the RCM Junior Department, the RAM Junior Department and Junior Guildhall. 

As well as individual tuition, Ksenia has led workshops with children from schools in London as part of the Southbank Sinfonia programme. Ksenia enjoys working with the Royal Opera House Education department. This has included involvement in the “Chance to Dance” project and acting as a tutor in the TAKE FIVE Summer School. As a member of the Gamma Majoris ensemble, which combines the talents of four soloists, she has promoted the enjoyment of classical music by very young children, through innovative shows such as musical fairy tales.

SOLOIST

As a soloist, Ksenia has performed with the Southbank Sinfonia, the London Chamber Players, the Moscow Camerata, and the Crimean Symphony Orchestra. She has given solo recitals in several European countries, including Sweden (as part of the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm), Norway (at the Edvard Grieg museum in Troldhaugen), and Germany. In the UK, her solo performances have been at a wide range of venues in London, including the Britten theatre, and elsewhere, – e.g. Cheltenham Town Hall, St Mary’s Church Aylesbury, and Milton Keynes City Church in aid of a charity supporting children from Chernobyl. In 2014, Ksenia performed live on BBC Radio 3 with Gareth Malone and the Military Wives playing music for choir and two solo violins. Ksenia’s awards in solo competitions include the Hans & Mary Romney prize at the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists competition, a diploma at the Nedialka Simeonova competition in Bulgaria, and the Città di Padova 2nd prize in Italy. She is also a recipient of the Albert Cooper Trust Award.

CHAMBER MUSICIAN

Ksenia’s chamber music career began whilst she was a student. The Messiaen Quartet was formed in 2005 and has won 1st prize at the International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music in Poland and 1st prize at the Alcobaca International Chamber Music Competition in Portugal. Following on from the Alcobaca prize, the Messiaen has performed at several leading festivals, in particular the Cistermusica Festival in Portugal, the Essen Receiving Russia Festival in Germany, and the Art-November Festival in Russia. The Muse Piano Quintet was formed in 2009 and has won 2nd prize at the Concurs Josep Mirabent i Magrans in Spain. Their performances have been primarily in the UK, including leading venues such as St John’s Smith Square and St Martin-in-the-Fields. They have also given master classes, – e.g. at Cheltenham Ladies College and whilst in residence at Latymer Upper School. The Muse has worked with Thomas Adès and John McCabe in performances of their works at the Purcell Room, organised by the Park Lane Group, and has performed with the leading clarinettist, Michael Collins. Both the Messiaen and the Muse have broadcast recitals and issued recordings. In recent years, Ksenia has played in other groups, such as the Covent Garden Soloists, with whom she has toured in Spain, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and across the UK.

ORCHESTRAL PLAYER

Ksenia has played in a wide range of major orchestras, – symphonic, chamber, opera and film session orchestras. Her participation in London-based orchestras began with the Southbank Sinfonia, of which she was a member in 2011, and has subsequently included the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Chamber Orchestra, the Russian Virtuosi of Europe Chamber Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of London, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, of which she became a member in 2016.

Ksenia is married to film titles director Nic Benns.