Leonid Kerbel (violin)
Born in 1962, Leonid Kerbel began his violin studies at the age of 4, in Kharkov (Ukraine), his native city. At age 6 he entered the Central Music school of Moscow under Prof. Yankilevich. He continued his studies in Israel at Tel-Aviv University (Rubin Academy) with Prof. Yair Kless and completed his education in Belgium and Germany with Prof. Philip Hirshhorn and Prof. Rosa Fain. Leonid Kerbel received master classes from artists such as Joseph Gingold, Janos Starker, William Pleath and chamber music ensembles like the Beaux-Arts Trio and Borodin Trio. His chamber music experience varies from duos to nonets. He was a leader of the Gertler quartet, Horta quartet, Contrast quartet, the Arpeggione Trio and the Nuove Musiche String quartet and chamber orchestra. He founded the Trio Sonnetto in 2005 and his partners in 2010 are the Belgian pianist Eliane Reyes and the Byelorussian cellist Aleksandr Khramouchin. The Trio Sonnetto enjoys the support of the illustrious pianist Paul Badura-Skoda. He is a winner of the Rubin Academy solo and chamber-music competition as well as the Clairmont competition. Leonid Kerbel teaches and performs on a regular basis in the "Sewannee Summer Music Festival" in the USA, and takes part in festivals such as: Festival de minimes, Festival de l'été Mosan, Festival de Mozart and Festival van Vlaanderen. He performs regularly as soloist and concertmaster around Europe, Israel and the USA and has recorded for Israeli Radio, BRTN, RTBF and USA National Radio. In 1998, with the collaboration of his wife, Hagit Hassid Kerbel, he founded the "Musica Mundi Chamber Music course and festival". He is invited in 2011 to conduct Master classes at the "Royal College of Music" in London. Leonid Kerbel is the official representative in Belgium of the International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition and was a member of the Competition's jury in 2011. From 2011 till 2015, Leonid Kerbel was appointed violin professor at the Brussels Conservatory of Music. Since September 2014 is also appointed violon professor at the «Royal College of Music» in London