Patricia Kopatchinskaja

Violinist from Moldova, Republic of
1977, March 23rd (unsure) in Chisinau, Moldova -

Patricia Kopatchinskaja is a Moldovan-born Austrian-Swiss violinist, born in March 1977 in Chișinău, in what was then the Moldavian SSR. She grew up in a family of musicians: her mother, Emilia Kopatchinskaja, is a violinist and her father, Viktor Kopatchinsky, a cimbalom player, both of whom performed with the Moldovan state folk ensemble. At 17 she began studying violin and composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, then continued her studies with Igor Ozim at the Hochschule der Künste Bern. She won first prize at the Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition in 2000.

Known for her unconventional, theatrical and fiercely committed performances, she moves freely between Baroque music, the core concerto repertoire, folk traditions and contemporary music, and has given numerous premieres. She is an artistic partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (since 2014) and of Camerata Bern, was music director of the Ojai Music Festival in 2018, and founded the Rüttihubeliade festival in the Swiss Alps (2003-2005).

Her recording Death and the Maiden with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra won a Grammy Award in 2018. Her other distinctions include the Royal Philharmonic Society Instrumentalist Award (2014), ECHO Klassik awards (2009 and 2013), the Grand Prix of the Swiss Music Awards (2017), honorary membership of the Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft (2020), the Austrian Art Prize for Music (2024), and in 2025 honorary membership of the Royal College of Music and an honorary doctorate from the University of Bern. Source: Rondo DB

Usual Name Patricia Kopatchinskaja
On Wikipedia Patricia_Kopatchinskaja
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Title Subname Catalogue Key Year Type

Patkop & Say

2026-10-16

Alpha Classics