Hailed as “a brilliant cellist” by the legendary Mstislav Rostropovich, Sergey Antonov went on to prove his mentor’s proclamation when he became one of the youngest cellists ever awarded the gold medal at the world’s premier musical Olympiad, the quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Competition.
Antonov’s entry into this elite stratum of sought-after classical artists has already placed him on stages at world-renowned venues from Russia’s Great Hall at the Moscow Conservatory to Suntory Hall in Tokyo. His international performance tours have taken him to France, Italy, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, Korea, Poland, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
He has collaborated with such conductors as Yuri Simonov, Maxim Vengerov, David Geringas, Michiyoshi Inoue, Mikhail Pletnev, Jonathan Mc Phee , Yuri Basmet, Laura Jackson, Marius Stravinsky, Keith Clark, Justus Franz, Eugene
Bushkov, and classical artists such as Dora Schwartzberg, Anastasia Khitruk, Nikita Borisoglebskiy, Ekaterina Mechetina, Livia Sohn, Eugine Tzikindelean, Vadim Rudenko, Bernadene Blaha, Kevin Fitz-Gerald, John Lenehan among others.
Closer to home, Antonov has been a favored guest artist with the Newport Music Festival, where he made his American debut, two years ago.
Born in Moscow, Russia, to a musical family, Antonov began his cello studies at the age of five, initially under the tutelage of his mother, Maria Zhurayleva, and went on to graduate from Moscow Conservatory having studied with Natalia Shakhovskaya, and chamber music with Alexander Bonduryansky.
It was during Antonov’s conservatory years that his abilities were recognized by Rostropovich, who had frequently taught master classes to gifted and highly advanced pupils. The celebrated cellist was so impressed with Antonov’s talent; he invited the young student to perform with him during a tour of Europe and Russia.
In addition to being the 2007 Tchaikovsky gold medal winner for cello, Antonov has been a recipient of the 2008 Golden Talent Award by the Russian Performing Arts Foundation, as well as garnering top soloist honors in the International Justus Friedrich Dotzauer Competition, Dresden, Germany, the David Popper International Cello Competition, Budapest, Hungary, and the American String Teachers Association Competition, Detroit Michigan.
His chamber ensemble performances have also brought him honors from the Lyrica Chamber Music Series as their "Young Artist of the Year", the Chamber Music Foundation of New England and the Swedish International Duo Competition.
Antonov’s repertoire embraces the full spectrum of cello concerti, soloist works and chamber music; everything from Prokofiev-and Bach to Schnitke and Hendel.
He has performed live in concert on Boston’s NPR radio station WGBH, and his performance with the Moscow Philharmonic in their “Stars of the 21st Century” series has been broadcast on Russian National Television.
Antonov resides in Boston, Massachusetts. He is currently completing his Artist Diploma under the direction of Grammy- nominated cellist, Terry King, at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge.
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