Nuestro Equipo

Recognized by the St. Louis Post Dispatch as a “virtuoso from head to
toe” and the Miami Herald as a “performer of dazzling virtuosity and
rhapsodic expression”, violinist Pavel Ilyashov is acclaimed as soloist,
chamber musician, orchestral player, and passionate educator.
Born into a family of musicians in Minsk, Belarus, at the age of 9, Pavel
was awarded the first overall prize in the “Citta Di Stresa” international
competition in Italy, where he bested competitors as old as 28. Faced with
increasing limitations due to the prevalence of anti-Semitism in their
native country, Pavel’s family made the decision to seek greater political
and artistic freedom elsewhere. With the sponsorship of United Jewish
Federations, Jewish Family Services, and HIAS, the Ilyashov family
relocated to the United States in 1990.
A graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia,
Pavel enjoys an unusually varied career. Recent solo performance
engagements include concertos with the Virginia Symphony, Tacoma
Symphony, the National Philharmonic of Honduras, as well as chamber
collaborations with Yo Yo Ma, Jaime Laredo, Paquito D’rivera, and
members of the Emerson string quartet. Pavel has regularly been featured
at the Caramoor festival, Bargemusic, and on the popular radio program
Performance Today. Several solo recordings for the Albany and Naxos
labels have been released to critical praise.
An experienced orchestral musician, Pavel played a distinguished 16 year,
full time tenure with the Virginia Symphony, during which he also

appeared as a substitute violinist with ensembles including the Chicago
Symphony and Philadelphia Orchestra.
A dedicated teacher, Pavel was honored by the Youth Orchestras of
Virginia with a special award as outstanding music educator of the year in
2019. His private students have earned top honors at a multitude of solo
competitions. In addition, they have gone on to careers in major
professional orchestras, and been accepted to study at top music schools
including the Peabody Conservatory, Indiana University, and Julliard. Pavel
has given masterclasses throughout the Americas and spends his
summers performing and teaching at festivals in New York, Colorado,
Virginia, Missouri, and Lima Peru. Pavel is a global ambassador for the
Orchestra of the Americas, which has enabled him to bring educational
outreach to