Deputy Principal Viola of Oper Frankfurt, former member of the viola section of the Bavarian Radio Symphonic Orchestra and scholarship holder of the Karajan- Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Lev Loiko was born on October 8, 1991 into a family of Russian chemists.
He received his first violin lessons from Naelya Chistyakova in Ivanovo at the age of 5 and soon music became the centre of his life. For the following 8 years, Lev studied violin and started experimenting on the viola, an instrument which offers its players wonderful possibilities to develop their own sound – because there is no specific size and scale for the instrument.*
At 14 years of age, Lev moved to Saint Petersburg to pursue his musical studies at the Mussorgsky Music College under Prof. Yakubovsky, now entirely focusing on playing the viola. After completing his studies in Saint-Petersburg, he continued his musical education at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In his third year, Lev was invited to study with Julia Gartemann, member of the viola section of the Berliner Philharmoniker, at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.
Lev has furthermore attended master classes given by, among others, Prof. Yuri Bashmet and Prof. Wilfried Strehle.
In 2016, Lev joined the class of Prof. Tabea Zimmermann for the following three years, and completed with her his Bachelor of Music at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, additionally to his diploma in Moscow Conservatory which he achieved in 2015. For his Master Degree Lev studied with Prof. Wilfried Strehle at Universität der Künste Berlin
From 2017 to 2019 Lev has been a scholarship holder of the Karajan-Academy of the Berlin Philharmoniker which shaped his passion to become an orchestra musician. He has worked with many world-renowned conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, John Eliot Gardiner, Emmanuelle Haim, Daniel Harding, Zubin Mehta, Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle and Tugan Sokhiev, among many others and has performed solo engagements, chamber music and symphonic programs at the Berliner Philharmonie, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Isarphilharmonie Munich, Herkulessaal, Kölner Philharmonie, Wiener Musikverein, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall London, Baden- Baden Festspielhaus, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, the Mozarteum Salzburg, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, among others. Lev Loiko has been invited to perform at various festivals such as the Prague Spring, Easter Festival in Baden-Baden, Heidelberger Frühling, Art-November, Zermatt Festival, and classic.Esterhazy.
In September 2022, Lev joined the viola section of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and in September 2023, he was offered the position of deputy principal violist at Oper Frankfurt. In his freetime Lev pursues his interests in philosophy and history, and dedicates time to teaching the viola. In 2020 and 2021, Lev was invited to give master classes at the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow and since 2023, Lev is coaching the viola section of the Neue Philharmonie München.
Lev is passionate about inspiring future generations of musicians and music lovers, and is currently working on various projects including a CD recording and the organisation of a festival on contemporary music. He is interested in building bridges between experienced and upcoming musicians as well as contemporary and classical music, across different nationalities.
* Diyang Mei, 1st principal viola player of the Berliner Philharmoniker,https://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/about-us/orchestra/musicians/musician/diyang-mei/.
CURICULUM VITAE
