Dmitri Pavlovich Kogan (; October 27, 1978 – August 29, 2017) was a Russian violinist and an Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.

Early life and career

Dmitri Kogan was born in Moscow,

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, into a famous musical dynasty. His grandfather,

Leonid Kogan Leonid Borisovich Kogan (; ; 14 November 1924 – 17 December 1982) was a preeminent Soviet violinist during the 20th century. Many consider him to be among the greatest violinists of the 20th century. In particular, he is considered to have be ...

, was an outstanding violinist, his grandmother,

Elizabeth Gilels Elizabeth Gilels (born Yelizaveta Grigoryevna Gilels; ; 30 September 1919 – 13 March 2008) was a Soviet violinist and professor. Biography Elizabeth Gilels was born on 30 September 1919 in Odessa into a Jewish family. Her father, Grigory ...

– a famous violinist and a teacher, his father, Pavel Kogan, is a conductor, and his mother, Lyubov Kazinskaya, a pianist who graduated from the

Gnessin Russian Academy of Music The Gnessin State College of Music () and Gnessin Russian Academy of Music () comprise a music school in Moscow.Moisenko, Rena. (1949) ''Realist Music: 25 Soviet Composers,'' London: Meridian Book, Ltd. History Originally known as the Gnessi ...

. He began playing the violin at the age of 6 at the Central Music School of the Moscow State P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory. From 1996 to 1999 Kogan was a student at the Moscow Conservatory (the class of I.S. Bezrodny) and almost at the same time (1996–2000) he was a student at the

Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy (, ) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

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, studying with I.S. Bezrodny and Tuomas Haapanen. At the age of 10 Dmitri performed for the first time accompanied by a symphony orchestra, and when he was 15 he played with an orchestra in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.

Performance career

Kogan made his debut in Great Britain and the US in 1997. He regularly performed at the most prestigious concert halls of Europe, Asia,

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, Australia, Middle East, the CIS and the

Baltic countries The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...

. Kogan participated at many prestigious music festivals around the world, such as the Corinthian Summer Festival (

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

), Menton Music Festival (France),

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annu ...

(

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

), and

Perth Festival Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...

(

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

). He also participated in the Chereshnevy Les Open-Art Festival, Russian Winter (Russkaya Zima) Festival, Music Kremlin Festival, Andrey Sakharov International Art Festival and many others in places like

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Shanghai,

Ogden, Utah Ogden ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the United States Census ...

, and Helsinki.

Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (; ; 27 October 178227 May 1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His 24 Caprices ...

's cycle of 24 caprices, long considered impossible to perform, held a special place in Kogan's repertoire, which consisted mostly of great concertos for violin and orchestra. Only a few select violinists are capable of performing the whole cycle. On April 19, 2009, Kogan was the first violinist to play a concert for explorers at the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

. On January 15, 2010, Kogan was awarded the honorary title of Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation. The Kogan Fund for Support of Outstanding Cultural Projects was created in April 2011 by Kogan and a patron of arts, Chair of the AVS-group Holding Company, Valery Saveliev. The public phase of the first project promoted by the Fund was Kogan's concert in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions on May 26, 2011. He played five violins by

Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, ''Stradivarius'', as well as the colloqui ...

Guarneri The Guarneri (, , ), often referred to in the Latinized form Guarnerius, is the family name of a group of distinguished luthiers from Cremona in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries, whose standing is considered comparable to those of the Amati ...

Amati Amati (, ) is the last name of a family of Italian violin makers who lived at Cremona from about 1538 to 1740. Their importance is considered equal to those of the Bergonzi, Guarneri, and Stradivari families. Today, violins created by Nico ...

, Guadagnini and Vuillaume. He continued the show, "Five Great Violins in One Concert", at the top concert venues in Russia and abroad. In January 2013, he performed it at the

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Davos Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian ...

in the presence of the Prime-Minister of Russia

Dmitri Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

and representatives of the world's political and business elites. The Robrecht violin, created in 1728 by Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri (delGesù), a renowned luthier of

Cremona Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

, was purchased by the Fund and presented to Kogan in Milan on September 1, 2011. In 2015, Kogan presented a new project, accompanying his performance of The Four Seasons by

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

and

Astor Piazzolla Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (, ; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed '' nuevo tango'', incorporating elements fr ...

with video projection. Kogan released ten CDs in collaboration with Delos, Conforza, DV Classics and other record labels.

Social and charity activities

Kogan dedicated great effort to charity and supported campaigns for children and youth. In December 2002 the First Leonid Kogan International Festival took place with Dmitri being its organizer and artistic director. Kogan was the founder and artistic director of the Annual International Days of High Music Festival that takes place in

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( ; , ) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai and the capital of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia. It is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, covering an area o ...

and since 2005 it has been also held on

Sakhalin Sakhalin ( rus, Сахали́н, p=səxɐˈlʲin) is an island in Northeast Asia. Its north coast lies off the southeastern coast of Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, while its southern tip lies north of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. An islan ...

. From 2004 to 2005 Kogan was the general artistic director of Primorsk State Philharmonic Society. From September 2005 he was the chairman of the board of Regents of Sakhalin State Philharmonic Society. In December 2007 Kogan founded and became the Head of the International Kogan Festival in

Yekaterinburg Yekaterinburg (, ; ), alternatively Romanization of Russian, romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( ; 1924–1991), is a city and the administrative centre of Sverdlovsk Oblast and the Ural Federal District, Russia. The ci ...

. In August 2010 he was elected as an Honorary Professor of the

Athens Conservatoire The Athens Conservatoire () is the oldest educational institution for the performing arts in modern Greece. It was founded in 1871 by the non-profit organization Music and Drama Association. History Initially, the musical instruments that were ta ...

. He held the post of Artistic Director at the Samara State Philharmonic Hall in the period from 2011 to 2013. In October 2010 Kogan became the chairman of the board of Regents of the Ural Music College. The Kogan Fund for Support of Outstanding Cultural Projects was created in April 2011 thanks to efforts of Kogan and a patron of arts, Chair of the AVS-group Holding Company, Valery Saveliev. The main goal of the Fund is the continued development of the world class charity and art patronage traditions of Russia. The Fund intends to search for unique musical instruments and to have them restored by the best art conservators and then to hand them over to professional musicians. Further, the Fund plans to help meet theneeds of musical schools and colleges, to find and support young talents. Kogan was an Adviser on Cultural Affairs to the Governor of

Chelyabinsk Oblast Chelyabinsk Oblast; , is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chel ...

from 2011 to 2014. In April 2012 Kogan chaired the board of regents at the Urals Mussorgsky State Conservatoire together with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk. In March 2012 Kogan became a confidant of

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, the

President of the Russian Federation The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the Federal State Council and the supreme commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces. I ...

. Kogan was an honorary professor of the

and the Urals State Conservatoire,

Ulyanovsk State University Ulyanovsk State University (, romanized: ''Ulyanovskiy gosudarstvennyy universitet'') (USU) is a public, research university, located in Ulyanovsk, Russia -- the birthplace of Vladimir Lenin. The city of Ulyanovsk (formerly Simbirsk, founded ...

, and chairman of the board of Regents of the Ural Musical College. From April 2013 onwards he chaired the International Musical Kremlin Festival that was founded by Nikolay Petrov, a prominent Russian pianist and Kogan's friend and mentor. From June 2013 he was an advisor on Cultural Affairs to the Governor of

Vladimir Oblast Vladimir Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located east of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, the oblast's population was 1,443,693. The UNESCO World Heritage L ...

. In February 2014 Kogan was appointed Artistic Director of one of Moscow's leading musical collectives – the Moscow Camerata Chamber Orchestra. In September 2014 the maestro was an Artistic Director of the First Arctic Classical Music Fest in the

Nenets Autonomous Okrug The Nenets Autonomous Okrug (; ) also known as Nenetsia ( ) is a federal subject of Russia and an autonomous okrug of Arkhangelsk Oblast. Its administrative center is the town of Naryan-Mar. It has an area of and a population of 42,090 ...

. In September 2014 he was appointed as the Counsellor for Cultural Affairs to the Governor of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

Projects and festivals

;The Time of High Music In April 2013 Kogan recorded a charity album titled 'The Time of High Music' in the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions in Moscow. Over 30,000 copies of the album were donated to music schools, children's art schools, colleges and higher education institutions in all 83 subjects of the Russian Federation. The Time of High Music, the violinist's charity tour across the 83 subjects of the Russian Federation, began in

Tver Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population: The city is ...

on June 15, 2013. ;Musical Instruments for Children A charity concert by Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation Dmitri Kogan took place at the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory on December 21, 2013. The renowned violinist performed together with chamber and symphonic orchestras as well as students from music schools from various region of Russia as part of the framework of the all-Russia Time of High Music charity project. He personally presented young talented musicians with instruments made by the best European artisans. Kogan was engaged in charity activities for many years. He was the first violinist to give charity concerts in

Beslan Beslan (; , ''Beslæn'', ) is a town and the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia, located about north of the republic's capital Vladikavkaz, close to the border with the Republic ...

and in

Nevelsk Nevelsk (; , ''Honto'') is a port town and the administrative center of Nevelsky District of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia, located on the southwest coast of the Sakhalin Island, from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, the administrative center of the oblast. Pop ...

damaged by an earthquake. Charitable actions organized by Kogan often turned into significant events of great cultural and social importance. ;Five Great Violins Kogan began working on this cultural project in the spring of 2011. During these themedf concert event Kohan played Five great musical instruments made by the legendary louthiers of the past – Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri, Guadagnini and Vuillaume. ;Nikolay Petrov's International Musical Kremlin Festival The International Musical Kremlin Festival was founded in 2000 by Nikolay Petrov – the piano virtuoso, teacher, professor and public figure. The festival has been borne the name of the untimely deceased musician since 2012. The festival is held at its permanent venue, the Armoury Chamber of the

Moscow Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall along with the K ...

. Beginning in April 2013 the festival was chaired by Kogan who was Petrov's friend and student. ;International Days of High Music Festival The International Days of High Music Festival was founded by Kogan in

in 2004. Since then it has been held with great success on

, in

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...

Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk; , is the administrative center and largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. It is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, seventh-largest city in Russia, with a population ...

, and

Samara Samara, formerly known as Kuybyshev (1935–1991), is the largest city and administrative centre of Samara Oblast in Russia. The city is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Samara (Volga), Samara rivers, with a population of over 1.14 ...

. Prominent musicians and leading musical collectives are always welcome guests at Days of High Music. ;Church Music Festival The Volzhsky Church Music Festival was founded by Kogan and Metropolitan Hilarion of

Volokolamsk Volokolamsk () is a town and the administrative center of Volokolamsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Gorodenka River, not far from its confluence with the Lama River, northwest of Moscow. Population: 25,729 (2024 Estimate ...

in 2012. This festival introduces its audience to the best samples of choral pieces and oratorios. A number of world premieres have taken place at the festival. ;Volga Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra The Volga Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra of the Samara State Philharmonic Society was founded upon Kogan's initiative in 2011. ;The Moscow Camerata Chamber Orchestra The Moscow Camerata Chamber Orchestra was founded in late 1994 and has been acknowledged as one of Moscow's leading musical collectives. In February 2014 Kogan was appointed Artistic Director of the Moscow Camerata Chamber Orchestra. ;Arctic Classical MusicFest The Arctic Classical Music Fest was founded in 2014 by Kogan and Igor Koshin, Governor of the

. The goal of the festival is to present the best examples of classical music and high art to people living in the Russia's Far North. The Festival is held on an annual basis. ;International Kogan Festival The International Kogan Festival was held by Dmitri Kogan together with the government of

Yaroslavl Oblast Yaroslavl Oblast is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), which is located in the Central Federal District, surrounded by the Tver Oblast, Tver, Moscow Oblast, Moscow, Ivanovo Oblast, Ivanovo, Vladimir Oblast, Vlad ...

and Valentina Tereshkova's Fund. Concerts of the festival have so far been held at the largest venues of

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...

and Yaroslavl Oblast. Dmitri Kogan presented concerts of different styles and genres from authentic baroque music to experimental combinations of music and modern technologies.

Personal life

Dmitri Kogan was married to Xenia Chilingarova, the daughter of a polar explorer and deputy of the State Duma

Artur Chilingarov Artur Nikolaevich Chilingarov (; 25 September 1939 – 1 June 2024) was an Armenian-Russian polar explorer, a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union in 1986 and the title of ...

from 2009 to 2012. Kogan died on August 29, 2017, after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 38.https://www.thestrad.com/violinist-dmitri-kogan-dead-at-38/7057.article Obituary

Discography

*2002 Brahms. Three sonatas for violin and piano. *2005 Shostakovich. The two violin concertos. *2006 Two violins. *2007 The violin sonatas by Brahms and Frank. Pieces for violin and piano. *2008 Virtuoso pieces for violin and piano. *2009 CD dedicated to the 65th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. *2010 Compositions for violin and chamber orchestra. *2013 "Five Great Violins" (Russian edition) *2013 "Five Great Violins" (foreign edition) *2013 "Time of High Music". Charitable CD.

References

External links

* Facebook official page Дмитрий Коган/ Dmitri Koga
BIOGRAPHY DMITRI KOGAN
*
Dmitri Kogan Show cases Five Great Violinsin a Marathon Concert

Dmitriy Kogan (Violin soloist)

The Four Seasons. Dmitri Kogan, Russian Philharmonic

Dmitri Kogan & Moscow Camerata Chamber Orchestra

To the 90th anniversary of Leonid Kogan

Dmitri Kogan / Marianna Vassilieva Two Violins

Moscow Camerata Chamber Orchestra presents ‘Five Great Violins’

Russia nviolinist Purchase World’s Most Expensive Violin

Dmitri Kogan performs at the Russian Embassy in London
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kogan, Dmitri 1978 births 2017 deaths Russian classical violinists Russian male classical violinists Jewish classical violinists Russian Jews Musicians from Moscow Honored Artists of the Russian Federation United Russia politicians Moscow Conservatory alumni Deaths from cancer in Russia