Born in Siberia in 1973, Natalia Prishepenko studied with her mother, Tamara Prishepenko, an eminent violin pedagogue in the Soviet Union, who still is her mentor and adviser today. Nurtured on the rich musical and cultural life then current in the former Soviet Union, she had played in all the leading concert halls in the former USSR and had already won important prizes such as those of the Wieniawski International Competition and the All Union Competition, before coming to Europe in 1988, completing her studies at the Musikhochschule Lübeck with David Geringas.
Her potency, naturalness, and musicality, her brilliant technique and her freshness, were immediately recognized in Europe, and during the following years she came to prominence also because of her successes in three of the most prestigious international competitions: the Paganini Competition in 1990, the Tokyo Competition in 1992 and the Reine Élisabeth de Belgique Competition in 1993.
For over eighteen years, from 1994 to 2012, Natalia Prishepenko was first violin of the Artemis Quartet, which she shaped through her energy and distinctive sound that became its trademark andmade it so successful.
In this musical and artistic symbiosis, Natalia Prishepenko carries with her the teachings of Walter Levin, the Alban Berg, Juilliard, Emerson Quartets, Alfred Brendel and David Geringas; theresults of direct contact with composers such as Kurtág, Lachenmann, Lutosławski, Nono, and Ligeti; and the musical exchange with artists like Sabine Meyer, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Juliane Banse, Jörg Widmann, Leif Ove Andsnes, Truls Mørk, Thomas Kakuska, Valentin Erben, and the Alban Berg Quartet.
From this period, this exceptional violinist has left us an extensive discography on Virgin Classics / EMI, which has been saluted by prestigious prizes, including the Gramophone Award, the Diapasond’Or, and the ECHO Klassik Award.
And to round things off, the project ‘Beethoven Complete’ won the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros in France.
Teaching is one of the numerous talents of this artist. As a professor at the Hochschule for music Carl Maria from Weber Dresden and teacher of numerous masterclasses, Natalia Prishepenko sees this task as a way to continue learning and for personal development. She is also frequently invited to be a jury member at significant competitions for chamber music and violin.
Natalia plays a violin by ‘Joseph (figlio Andrea) Guarneri’, generously loaned to her by Ms. Barbara Westphal.
