Sergey Levitin is an internationally acclaimed violinist and concertmaster, known for his artistry, leadership, and versatility across orchestral, solo, and chamber performance. A native of Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), he trained under celebrated teachers including Aaron Knaifel, Mark Komissarov, Mikhail Gantvarg, and Vladimir Ovcharek, before further refining his craft with Professor Igor Ozim.

At the age of 23, Sergey was appointed Concertmaster of the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra by Valery Gergiev. During his tenure, he toured extensively and contributed to major recordings for Philips Classics and Decca, including Shostakovich's symphonies and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. As a soloist, he performed under Gergiev and Gianandrea Noseda in the USA, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, and at major festivals including the Edinburgh Festival and St. Petersburg's "White Nights," where he appeared with the Wiener Streichersolisten.

A passionate chamber musician, Sergey was a founding member of the Hermitage String Trio, which he established in 2004 with Leonid Gorokhov and Alexander Zemtsov. His commitment to chamber music remains central to his artistic life.

For the past two decades, he has served as Concertmaster of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. He is a prizewinner of national and international competitions, including the Lipizer International Violin Competition and the Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa, where he also received the Renato De Barbieri Prize for best interpretation of Paganini's caprices.

Sergey is the founder of the Chamber Principals of London, an ensemble composed of leading UK-based musicians. The group made its debut at Teatro Verdi di Salerno to critical acclaim, praised for its musical precision, passion, and depth.

As a recording artist for Dutton Epoch, he has collaborated with Martin Yates on world premiere recordings of violin concertos, performing with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, BBC Concert Orchestra, and English Chamber Orchestra. His chamber recordings include previously unrecorded works by French composer Paul Lacombe, in collaboration with Josephine Knight, Victor Sangiorgio, and Rachel Roberts.

He has performed with leading artists such as Sir Antonio Pappano, Alison Balsom, Piers Lane, Alexei Volodin, Nikolai Demidenko, and Petr Popelka. As a guest concertmaster, he is frequently invited to lead top orchestras including the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse.

Sergey has also served as Commissario esterno at Teatro Regio and will expand that role to Teatro di San Carlo in 2025, affirming his stature as an artistic authority in the operatic world.

A committed educator, he has led orchestral and violin workshops at institutions including the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where he joins the teaching faculty in Spring 2025. His distinguished career continues to inspire audiences and musicians worldwide. 

(Photo by Kate Kantur)