2026
Marat Bisengaliev
SOI Co-Founder & Artistic Director
Internationally renowned violinist Marat Bisengaliev is the founding Artistic Director of the Symphony Orchestra of India. Described by The Times as a "brilliant violin soloist", Marat Bisengaliev has also been designated "a latter-day Ysaÿe" by the American Journal Fanfare. The New York Times says that "he has taken to heart a style of playing that was a hallmark of violin virtuosity early in the century”.
In 2019, Marat performed with the Symphony Orchestra of India on their maiden tour to the UK, with critically acclaimed concerts in London, Edinburgh, Guildford & Cardiff. The Scotsman hailed his “gloriously assertive, chiselled account of Bruch’s First Violin Concerto”, with Classical Source declaring it “without question, the finest live performance of this masterpiece I have heard.”
Marat was born in Kazakhstan in 1962 and made his debut at the age of nine. He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow with two of the legendary names in violin tuition: Boris Belinki and Valery Klimov. He was a prize-winner in 1988 at the Leipzig International Bach Competition, and in 1991 won first prize at the International Nicanor Zabaleta Competition in Spain, also receiving the Special Virtuoso Prize.
Since signing a major recording contract with Naxos and Marco Polo in 1991, Marat has produced a number of acclaimed recordings. His recording of the Mendelssohn Concertos (Northern Sinfonia) was the Gramophone Critic's Choice of the Year in 1998.
Fanfare nominated his recording of Havergal Brian’s concerto (BBC SSO) as Critics’ Choice 1994. Sony BMG awarded him a Gold Disc for his recording Tlep by Karl Jenkins. In 2000, he received the 1st Platinum Tarlan Award and the Government Medal of Honour in Kazakhstan.
A noted interpreter of the works of Sir Edward Elgar, his album Elgar: Re-discovered works for violin, Vol. 1 (Black Box) was nominated for the 1999 Gramophone Award and the second volume was named by Classic FM as one of the “Top 5 Elgar recordings”. His three-CD anthology Elgar: The Violin Works, which received the Gold Disc award from the American Elgar Foundation was recently reissued by Naxos. In 2013, Marat received the first Elgar Proliferation Award from the American Elgar Foundation.
Apart from the SOI, Marat has also founded two orchestras in his home country. In 2003, he founded the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. Their first CD – Karl Jenkins’ Requiem – was released on EMI and reached No. 1 in the classical sales charts and was No. 1 in Hall of Fame in Classic FM magazine. In 2012, he founded the Almaty Symphony Orchestra.
Marat has performed in over 35 countries, with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish, Philharmonia, Warsaw Philharmonic, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, BBC Ulster, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, and Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. He has played in leading venues
around the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall.
In June 2024, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry honoured Marat as a Goodwill Ambassador of the country, in recognition of his contribution in putting Kazakhstan on the global map.
In 2019, Marat performed with the Symphony Orchestra of India on their maiden tour to the UK, with critically acclaimed concerts in London, Edinburgh, Guildford & Cardiff. The Scotsman hailed his “gloriously assertive, chiselled account of Bruch’s First Violin Concerto”, with Classical Source declaring it “without question, the finest live performance of this masterpiece I have heard.”
Marat was born in Kazakhstan in 1962 and made his debut at the age of nine. He studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow with two of the legendary names in violin tuition: Boris Belinki and Valery Klimov. He was a prize-winner in 1988 at the Leipzig International Bach Competition, and in 1991 won first prize at the International Nicanor Zabaleta Competition in Spain, also receiving the Special Virtuoso Prize.
Since signing a major recording contract with Naxos and Marco Polo in 1991, Marat has produced a number of acclaimed recordings. His recording of the Mendelssohn Concertos (Northern Sinfonia) was the Gramophone Critic's Choice of the Year in 1998.
Fanfare nominated his recording of Havergal Brian’s concerto (BBC SSO) as Critics’ Choice 1994. Sony BMG awarded him a Gold Disc for his recording Tlep by Karl Jenkins. In 2000, he received the 1st Platinum Tarlan Award and the Government Medal of Honour in Kazakhstan.
A noted interpreter of the works of Sir Edward Elgar, his album Elgar: Re-discovered works for violin, Vol. 1 (Black Box) was nominated for the 1999 Gramophone Award and the second volume was named by Classic FM as one of the “Top 5 Elgar recordings”. His three-CD anthology Elgar: The Violin Works, which received the Gold Disc award from the American Elgar Foundation was recently reissued by Naxos. In 2013, Marat received the first Elgar Proliferation Award from the American Elgar Foundation.
Apart from the SOI, Marat has also founded two orchestras in his home country. In 2003, he founded the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra. Their first CD – Karl Jenkins’ Requiem – was released on EMI and reached No. 1 in the classical sales charts and was No. 1 in Hall of Fame in Classic FM magazine. In 2012, he founded the Almaty Symphony Orchestra.
Marat has performed in over 35 countries, with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish, Philharmonia, Warsaw Philharmonic, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, BBC Ulster, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, and Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. He has played in leading venues
around the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall, Barbican, Wigmore Hall, Bridgewater Hall, and the Forbidden City Concert Hall.
In June 2024, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry honoured Marat as a Goodwill Ambassador of the country, in recognition of his contribution in putting Kazakhstan on the global map.
