Leonid Gorokhov

The Russian cellist Leonid Gorokhov studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire with Anatoli Nikitin and took part in masterclasses with Daniil Shafran. Winner of Concertino Praga (First Prize) and Paris Chamber Music Competition (Premier Grand Prix), Leonid Gorokhov is the only Russian cellist to be awarded the Grand Prix and the First Prize of the Geneva Concours (1986). In 1995 the European Association for Encouragement of the Arts awarded the Cultural Achievement Prize to Leonid Gorokhov for exceptional talent and outstanding artistic accomplishment.

In 1991, Leonid Gorokhov appeared as soloist with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic conducted by Lord Menuhin; their strong musical rapport led to further concerto engagements with the Bergen, Berlin & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia and the Zurich Tonhalle. In 1995, he made a triumphant return to Russia in performances of the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Philharmonia Hungarica, again conducted by Lord Menuhin.

Apart from his work as a soloist, he is a founder member of the Hermitage String Trio (playing with Boris Garlitsky, violin, and Alexander Zemstov, viola) and plays regularly as a duo with the pianists Nikolai Demidenko, Niklas Sivelov and Kathryn Stott. Duo recitals have included the Båstad, Belfast, Eilat Winter, Oslo Chamber Music and Petworth Festivals, Munich and Wigmore Hall.

Recent engagements have included the Elgar concerto with the Enescu Philharmonic in Bucharest and the Walton Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestrain the UK. In Australia, his residence at the Townsville Festival found him playing a wide variety of chamber music; in Russia he has performed the rarely played Davidoff Concerto No 2 with the St. Petersburg Capella as well as concertos with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared at the Athens Megaron and Bargemusic New York as well as at many prestigious festivals such as Budapest Spring, Corinthian Summer, Davos, Evian, Gstaad, Harrogate, Interlaken, Kuhmo, Ljubljana, Munich, Perth (Scotland), Schleswig-Holstein and Spoleto.

He undertakes regular recital tours of Japan and has played concertos with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and the Macau Chamber Orchestra. In Europe he has been invited to play with the Basel, BBC Scottish, Berlin Radio, Biel-Bienne and Norrkoping Symphony Orchestras; the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Promusica Salzburg and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Future engagements include the Brahms Double Concerto in Germany and Spain, a further tour of Japan, duo recitals in the UK with Kathryn Stott, and concerts with the Hermitage String Trio, including a concert at the Wigmore Hall.

Since 2008, Gorokhov has been teaching the BBC Young Musician 2012 finalist Laura van der Heijden. She proceeded to win the competition.

Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Hannover, Germany.