Yosef Feigelson

Respected around the world, Latvian-born cellist Yosif Feigelson enjoys a solo career spanning over three decades. He has been praised for his marvelously singing tone, effortless technique, and sincere, enlightening interpretations. r. Feigelson began playing cello at the age of six, studying under Don Yaffe at the Darzins Music School in Riga. After winning First Prize at the Concertino Prague International Competition (1970), he attracted the attention of legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and consequently became his pupil at the Moscow Conservatory, continuing his studies with Natalia Gutman. Winner of the prestigious Tchaikovsky (1974) and J.S.Bach (1976) competitions, he toured throughout the former Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries, appearing at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Dvorak Hall in Prague, and Musikbienale in Berlin.

Mr. Feigelson made his widely publicized New York orchestral debut in 1988, when he stepped in at short notice to substitute for ailing violinist Nathan Milstein with the New York Chamber Symphony. He has performed in virtually every major hall in New York City, as well as Symphony Hall in Chicago, and Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He was guest soloist with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Chicago Symphonietta, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and Knoxville Symphony among others. In 1990, the cellist received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.

In Europe, Mr. Feigelson has taken part in the Schleswig-Holstein and Handelfestspiele Festivals in Germany, Tuscany Festival in Italy, Musiktreffen in St.Moritz, Switzerland, Bach Festival in Madeira, Portugal, and Moulin d'Ande in France; he has also made various appearances across Central and Eastern Europe.

The cellist's repertoire boasts more than 50 works for cello and orchestra, an equal amount of sonatas and other music including his own transcriptions. A fervent advocate of music which has been unjustly overlooked, he premiered the unique 24 Solo Cello Preludes of Mieczyslaw Weinberg in 1996 and recorded these along with the composer's Four Cello Sonatas on the Olympia label.