When you can live your dream

 

Some people are lucky enough to find their talent when they were children. Nuriya Fehr (nee Karimbayeva) is one of the artists who discovered her talent for the violin at a young age. Since then she has perfected her art with perseverance and dedication and is now one of the most promising violinists in the world.

 

Nuriya's career began at the age of six in her native Kazakhstan, more precisely in her hometown of Almaty, the country's metropolis. She began studying the violin at the well-known Aubakirova private school. Only two years later she transferred to the renowned boarding school Kulyash Baiseitova, which has been promoting particularly talented young musicians since 1948.

 

Worldwide performances since childhood

 

It was then that Nuriya reaped her first laurels at a public concert with the National Orchestra of Kazakhstan. She left such a strong impression on the audience with Antonio Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in A minor that she was invited to numerous concerts in the following years, including by three different presidents of her home country Kazakhstan and by the Russian President.

 

A milestone in Nuriya's career was winning first prize at the Rovere d'Oro international violin competition 2008 in San Bartalomeo, Italy, a recognized springboard for young talent. Numerous concerts in world-famous concert halls followed this victory. Among others, Nuriya has played in the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the Salle Gaveau in Paris, UNESCO in Paris, the Hofburg in Vienna and the great hall of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. In 2015 and 2016 she performed at the Sion Festival in Switzerland. There were also appearances on television and radio, which were broadcast worldwide.

 

Together with various symphony orchestras, Nuriya showed her skills as a violin soloist with various virtuoso works from music history, including the Violin Concerto in E minor by F. Mendelssohn, Navarra and Gypsy Airs by Pablo de Sarasate and Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saëns.

 

First-class skills thanks to international training

 

These successes are no accident. Nuriya Fehr has devoted her life almost exclusively to art. In addition to her instrument, the violin, she finds the muse to enjoy contemporary art such as photography, films and pictures.

 

However, so far in her life the violin has played first fiddle. In 2009 she began to study at the University of Music in Würzburg with Professor Grigory Zhislin. She completed her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Music at the Lausanne Conservatory from 2013 to 2017 under the guidance of Professor Pavel Vernikov and his assistant Maria Solozobova. Nuriya completed her second Master of Arts in 2021 at the Zurich University of the Arts, majoring in solo performance.  There, she had the pleasure of studying under Professor Ilya Gringolts, a renowned violin luminary.

 

Funding from renowned organizations

 

Numerous organizations dedicated to promoting musical talent have supported Nuriya's career. In addition, in 2015 she won first prize at the Leopold Bellan International Violin Competition in Paris and the Rahn Music Prize in Zurich.

 

Here is a list of organizations that have supported Nuriya's career with scholarships:

 

• 2010 Oscar Karl Foster Foundation, Germany

• 2011 Yehudi Menuhin Foundation Live-Music-Now, Germany

• 2015 Max D. Jost Foundation, Switzerland

• 2017 Zangger Weber Foundation, Switzerland

• 2019 Marianne and Kurt Dienemann Foundation, Switzerland

 

Historical violins for a rising star in the musical sky

 

The instrument is of vital importance for aspiring musicians. During her studies at the Music Academy in Lausanne, Nuriya had the opportunity to play an old Italian violin made by Cesare Candi. The Lalive Foundation in Geneva had made the violin available to her. It was crafted 1930 in Genoa.

 

After performing with pianist Itamar Golan in Cremona, Italy, a private violin collector loaned his violin from Enrico Marchetti to Nuriya. This violin dates back to the year 1885 and was made in Turin.

 

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Nuriya's art is characterized by a remarkable range. Her many years of training with masters of their craft has multiplied her innate skills on the violin. Today, her virtuoso playing is characterized by stylistic accuracy in the interpretation of works from the most diverse epochs of music history, including the present day. Precise articulation and absolute mastery of technique form the basis for Nuriya Fehr to interpret music in her own individual way and enrich it with a kaleidoscope of new timbres.