Boris Kuschnir, born in Kyiv in 1948, studied violin with Boris Belenkij and chamber music with Valentin Berlinskij at the Moscow Conservatory. Influenced by Dmitri Shostakovich, with whom he collaborated on late quartets, and David Oistrakh, his career began in 1969 after winning the All-Union Competition in Leningrad, performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto under Yuri Temirkanov.
A professor in Vienna since 1984 and Graz since 1999, Kuschnir has mentored leading violinists such as Julian Rachlin, Nikolaj Znaider, Maria Dueñas, and Sergey Dogadin, whose numerous competition victories highlight his teaching excellence. He is also an honorary professor at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music.
Kuschnir founded the Vienna Schubert Trio and Brahms Trio, earning major awards, and has performed at renowned venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna, La Scala in Milan, and Wigmore Hall in London.
He is a recipient of Austria’s Grand Decoration of Honour and the Austrian Cross of Honour.
