Igor Zubkovsky started playing cello at the age of five in his native Russia and
first appeared as a soloist with the Minsk State Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of twelve,
performing Haydn C Major Cello Concerto. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Natalia Shakhovskaya, the Gold Medalist of the 1962 Tchaikovsky Competition.
You can watch Igor Zubkovsky in performances by going to Faculty Performances.
Mr. Zubkovsky won top prizes at international competitions, including International Cello Competition in Minsk, Belarus (II prize), and Tansman Competition in Lodz, Poland (Grand Prix). As a member of “Brahms Trio” in Moscow he won Second Prize at the Trapani, Italy and First Prize at the Weimar, Germany International Chamber Music Competitions. With a remarkable record of performances, awards and academic distinctions, Mr. Zubkovsky was awarded a full scholarship to the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he earned a Graduate Performance Diploma.
Currently Mr. Zubkovsky is a tenured member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, and continues to perform extensively as a soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared at Merkin Concert Hall in New York and at the prestigious Newport Music Festival, performed recitals in Massachusetts and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Live recordings of those concerts are frequently broadcast on TV and over the Internet. Recent engagements include performances of Brahms Double Concerto with West Chester University Orchestra,
Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with Altoona Symphony, series of chamber music concerts in Paris with Marquis Ensemble, performances at the Moscow Conservatory Rachmaninov Hall and trio concerts (with Anna Ouspenskaya and Elisabeth Adkins) as part of the “Levine Presents” performance series which were aired on WETA, Washington’s Classical Music Radio station.
Mr. Zubkovsky is also the author of numerous arrangements and transcriptions for duets and trios featuring the cello; is the first performer of Cello Sonata by Isaac Mikhnovsky and has several CD recordings to his credit.
Member of
Washington National Opera House Orchestra