Odesa’s extraordinary musical heritage and the visionary teaching of Pyotr Stolyarsky have shaped some of the greatest violinists in history. Florian Riem explores how this legacy continues to resonate globally, celebrated today through the Odesa International Violin Competition—even amidst the challenges of the war in Ukraine
The Odesa violin tradition: A legacy of excellence
The Odesa International Violin Competition was founded
in 2018 by Ukrainian violinist Andrii Murza to honour
the great violin tradition of Odesa and, in particular, the legendary pedagogue Pyotr Stolyarsky. Long postponed
due to the war in Ukraine, the competition has found a temporary home in Monheim, Germany. From 17 to 24
August 2025, young violinists from around the world will gather to compete under the watchful eyes of an esteemed international jury, including Marc Bouchkov, Andrii Murza, Soyoung Yoon, Aleksey Semenenko, Mario Hossen,
Rūta Lipinaitytė, Zohrab Tadevosyan, Harald Schoneweg, and Christiane von Velsen. The Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Oksana Lyniv, will perform at the competition finals.
Odesa: A city of music
Situated at the crossroads of Europe and the Black Sea, Odesa has long been a vibrant hub for artists and musicians. The Odesa Opera House, built in 1887 in a lavish Neo-Baroque style, is one of Europe’s most stunning and acoustically outstanding venues, hosting performances by leading musicians from Europe and Russia.
The Odesa Philharmonic Hall, originally constructed as a stock exchange in 1894, later became a concert venue. Its grand Venetian Gothic architecture provides a striking setting for performances, even if, as artists joke, the acoustics—designed to prevent people from overhearing conversations—could be improved.
The legacy of Pyotr Stolyarsky
Pyotr Stolyarsky was born in the Russian Empire in 1871. Though he was not a virtuoso performer himself, his exceptional gift for teaching would leave an indelible mark on the world of classical music. In 1933, having settled in Odesa, Stolyarsky founded the first specialist music school in the USSR for gifted children, pioneering an approach that emphasised both technique and artistic expression.
His students included some of the greatest violinists
of all time—David Oistrakh, Boris Goldstein, Nathan Milstein, Elizabeth Gilels and Mikhail Fichtenholz, among many
others.
Stolyarsky believed in identifying and nurturing talent
from an early age, often working with children as young as five or six. But his influence extended beyond technical mastery—he instilled discipline, responsibility and a deep reverence for music as both an art form and a way of life.
David Oistrakh, one of his most famous protégés, credited Stolyarsky with laying the foundation for his extraordinary career. Another towering figure, Nathan Milstein, became renowned for his impeccable technique and refined
artistry.
But Milstein and Oistrakh were not the only artists shaping Odesa’s musical legacy. The city also produced legendary pianists such as Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter, Shura Cherkassky and Oleg Maisenberg. Even violinist Isaac Stern, though born in Kremenets, spent formative years in Odesa, deeply influenced by the city’s rich musical heritage.
Stern once quipped that Cold War-era cultural exchanges were simple affairs: “They send us their Jews from Odesa,” he said long after he moved to America. “And we send them our Jews from Odesa.”
The Stolyarsky School today
The Stolyarsky School remains a cornerstone of Odesa’s musical life. “We are just fanatics about our music,” said Pavel P. Butovsky, the school’s former Deputy Director. “It’s in the water or the air. There is this belief now in Moscow and abroad that technical skills above all are the path to achievement. That without them you can be nothing. But we have always disagreed. Here you play with the heart. First comes the freedom. Then comes the technique.”
Of course, the Stolyarsky school’s approach to musical education is anything but lax. The 400 students who enrol in the 11-year programme are expected to follow a strict practice regime, from dawn to dusk. Yet, since the beginning, the ethos has been to use their technique to communicate something more profound than physical dexterity.
The results speak for themselves. The school once kept a list of international prizes won by its students on the Director’s office wall. But eventually, they stopped. The list simply became too long.
