Benjamin Yusupov
Benjamin Yusupov’s music transcends genre classifications and cultural boundaries, incorporating diverse styles and influences to craft a unique musical language both as a composer and conductor. Drawing from both Western and Eastern traditions, his compositions utilize musical sources from various ethnic communities, blending cultural identities with modern orchestral techniques. Yusupov’s work emphasizes timbre and color as fundamental elements, often featuring exotic instruments or creating the illusion of ethnic sounds through the symphony orchestra.
His extensive catalogue, published exclusively by Sikorski Musikverlag, has been widely performed by renowned orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Bogota Philharmonic, New World Symphony, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and Belgrade Philharmonic, among others. Yusupov has collaborated closely with distinguished artists such as Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, Vadim Repin, Alexander Kniazev, Maxim Rysanov, Sergei Nakariakov, Reinhold Friedrich, and Konstantin Lifschitz.
In 2005, Yusupov’s Viola Tango Rock Concerto, written for internationally renowned violinist Maxim Vengerov, had its triumphant world premiere with the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hannover. The work has been met with great enthusiasm by audiences and critics worldwide and was featured in the documentary Living the Dream, about Vengerov’s life, produced by EMI Classics. Yusupov also composed a Cello Concerto for Mischa Maisky in honor of his 60th birthday, premiered by Maisky with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under Yusupov’s baton. The piece was co-commissioned by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, and Israel Philharmonic, and the recording was released by Deutsche Grammophon on the CD 20th Century Classics.
His Voices of Violin Concerto No. 2, commissioned by the Trans-Siberian Art Festival, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and Berliner Symphoniker, is an innovative work requiring the soloist to explore six different movements from various historical periods, geographical regions, and performance styles. This piece was dedicated to and performed by Vadim Repin.
Yusupov has appeared as a conductor in prestigious venues such as KKL Lucerne, Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Prinzregententheater in Munich, and Cologne Philharmonie. He has conducted orchestras including the Lucerne Symphony, Slovenian Philharmonic, Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Bogota Philharmonic, Iceland Symphony, Novosibirsk Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, and Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra.
Born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in 1962, Yusupov studied piano, composition, and conducting at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow under Roman Ledeniov, Yuri Fortunatov, and Dmitri Kitajenko. He holds a PhD from Bar-Ilan University. Yusupov is the music director and conductor of the “Israeli Soloists” Chamber Orchestra, which he founded in 2015, featuring Israel’s finest musicians. He currently serves as Composer-in-Residence with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.
Among his numerous accolades, Yusupov has received the Clone Prize (1992), the Sherover Award (1993), Israeli Prime Minister Prizes (1999, 2008), ACUM Prizes (2002, 2004), the Landau Award for the Performing Arts (2007), Engel Prize (2009), and the ACUM Lifetime Achievement Award (2016).