Cello Soloist, has been hailed as “…a brilliant cellist…” (M. Rostropovich) and “… a complete artist, both from the point of view of his unimpeachable technique and musicality, with a cantabile quality and an energy that merge in a harmonious whole…” (Alberto Coda, Vita Nuova, Catholic Weekly of Trieste, Italy. May 2, 2008). “… literally spellbound the rapt audience… with an expressive mastery of extraordinary maturity, realized through a technical skill exhibited without glitz but with the naturalness that characterizes a genial interpreter…” (Patrizia Ferialdi, Il Piccolo, Trieste, Italy. May30, 2008). In the summer of 2007, Sergey became one of the youngest cellists to win a Gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. He has circled the globe, performing concerts in Japan, Korea, Bulgaria, Poland, Russia, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, United Arab Emirates and the US. He performs extensively with the most prominent orchestras, in the most prestigious halls of Russia, his home country, under the management of the Moscow Philharmonic with whom he holds a five year soloist contract. In the summer of 2008, Sergey had made his American debut at the Newport Music Festival followed by solo recitals at Estivales de musique en medoc 2008 in Bordeaux, France, concerts in Savonlinna, Finland as well as in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Sergey Antonov was born in 1983 into a family of cellists. His parents guided his first years, especially his mother, Maria Zhuravleva, a leading cello pedagogue at the prestigious Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory. His late father, Boris, was a gifted cellist and a member of the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and is an Artist Diploma candidate working with the Grammy nominated cellist Terry King at the Longy School of Music in Boston.
A great influence on the cellist was his work with the late Mstislav Rostropovich. Sergey was a frequent participant in his master classes at the Moscow Conservatory, which led to the maestro’s invitation to join him on tours of Europe and Russia.