Maria Kouznetsova – viool Maria Kouznetsova-©Foppe Schut Born in 1991 in Russia, in a family of musicians, Maria Kouznetsova started playing the violin aged four and a year later gave her first public performance. She studied with Vladimir Bobylyov in her native city, Igor Volochine and Boris Garlitsky in Paris, Pavel Vernikov and Oleksandr Semchuk in Italy, before joining the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, under Augustin Dumay. She is currently a student of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, under M. Ilya Grubert. Maria has performed concerts in various festivals and venues, such as the Incontri Musicali of the Fondazione William Walton e La Mortella in Ischia, the Internazional Oleg Kagan Music Fest in Kreuth, Estate Fiesolana, Estate Musicale of Portogruaro, Rome Chamber Music Festival, MusicAmuseo in Ancona, Aosta Classica Festival, Aurora Chamber Music Festival, International Kamermuziekfestival Schiermonnikoog. She is a prizewinner of several competitions, such as the Young Violinist’s Competition of Canet-en-Roussillon (1st prize ex-aequo), “Andrea Postacchini” International Competition in Fermo (2nd prize), National Contests “Luigi Nono” in Venaria Reale and “Nuovi Orizzonti” in Arezzo (1st prize), “David Oistrakh” International Competition in Moscow (2nd prize, 1st not awarded), Adriatico International Music Competition (1st prize, EMCY Art for Music prize). Maria plays plays a violin made for her by Belgian luthier Fabien Gram, and a D.T. Navea Vera bow. Geelvinck Salon Maria Kouznetsova will perform a recital together with forte pianist Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya in the Geelvinck Salon of 11 January 2015.