Elisaveta Blumina is a German conductor and pianist, internationally recognised for her multifaceted artistic trajectory, structural clarity, and communicative leadership. In recent years, conducting has become the central focus of her artistic future — a development consistently described by colleagues as both natural and compelling. Conductor Thomas Sanderling highlights her “excellent conducting technique and the ability to transmit energy and enthusiasm directly to the orchestra,” while Vladimir Jurowski describes her as “a gifted communicator with a strong artistic voice, high standards, and a rare ability to mediate musical ideas with clarity and conviction.”

Conducting Focus: Recent Seasons & Upcoming Projects

In recent seasons and forthcoming engagements, Elisaveta Blumina conducts, among others, the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt (Oder), the Robert Schumann Philharmonie Chemnitz, chamber and soloist ensembles of the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Bläserensembles of the Staatskapelle Berlin, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig (Education Projects). She leads operatic and symphonic projects in major venues, including an opera gala at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg with specially prepared ensemble arrangements and young vocal soloists.

Further projects include international collaborations in Ireland, Israel, South Africa, and continental Europe. Her conducting work is shaped by long-standing mentorship from Vladimir Jurowski, Thomas Sanderling, Vitali Alekseenok, and Catherine Larsen-Maguire, whose support has accompanied her transition to the podium and continues to inform her artistic development.

Blumina’s approach to conducting is rooted in decades of chamber music practice and large-scale repertoire experience. Colleagues consistently point to her clear gestural language, refined sense of colour, and collaborative rehearsal culture — qualities that allow her to work effectively with both professional orchestras and young musicians at the highest level.

Pianist, Recording Artist & Curator

Alongside her conducting career, Elisaveta Blumina remains an internationally active pianist and chamber musician. She has appeared at major venues including Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, National Concert Hall Dublin, Gasteig Munich, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, as well as at festivals such as Verbier, Lockenhaus, Colmar, and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.

Her extensive discography — comprising nearly 40 recordings, including four acclaimed albums dedicated to the music of Valentin Silvestrov — has reached a wide international audience across digital platforms. At the peak of this period, her recordings collectively achieved exceptionally high streaming figures, reflecting both the resonance of her artistic profile and the strong reception of these projects within the contemporary classical repertoire.

Since 2011, Elisaveta Blumina has been the founder and artistic director of the Hamburger Kammermusikfest International. After joining the initiative shortly after its inception, she fundamentally reshaped its artistic vision, structure, and international profile, transforming it into a respected platform that combines established international artists with emerging talents. Under her leadership, the festival presents concerts regularly at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and commissions new works annually, reflecting her long-term commitment to repertoire development and artistic responsibility.

Her recordings have been internationally acclaimed and recognised with major awards and nominations, including the ECHO Klassik, Opus Klassik, and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Her work is particularly noted for its contribution to the rediscovery of composers such as Mieczysław Weinberg, Grigori Frid, Nikolai Kapustin, Galina Ustvolskaya, and Giya Kancheli.

Education & Artistic Mediation

Education and artistic mediation are integral to Blumina’s profile. She has taught and led masterclasses at institutions such as the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre, Kronberg Academy, Villa Musica, Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Tel Aviv University, Orchesterzentrum NRW, and numerous academies and festivals across Europe, Israel, and the United States.

Her work with young musicians — whether as conductor, teacher, or curator — is characterised by an emphasis on individuality, intellectual curiosity, and sustainable artistic development. These values also inform her recurring education projects, including interdisciplinary formats that connect music with visual art, movement, and storytelling.

Artistic Identity & Background

In her early years, Elisaveta Blumina also aspired to become a ballerina — an influence that continues to shape her artistic thinking. The sense of physical movement, gesture, and visual balance remains central to her musical interpretation and conducting style, where sound, motion, and form are understood as deeply interconnected.

Born in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), she received her early musical education at the city’s specialised music schools before studying piano, chamber music, and vocal accompaniment at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where she also attended conducting classes with Ilya Musin. Further studies took her to the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre and the Bern Conservatory, where she completed advanced studies with András Schiff, alongside formative encounters with musicians such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Ivry Gitlis, and Radu Lupu.

A synaesthete, Blumina perceives sound as colour — a phenomenon that informs both her musical interpretation and her parallel activity as a visual artist. Her paintings, initially part of her musical working process, are now exhibited internationally and have been used as album artwork by major record labels.

She lives in Berlin, speaks six languages, and is a Steinway Artist. She is the mother of two sons, one of whom is a young professional bassoonist, currently studying in Zurich and already active as an emerging artist with leading orchestras and ensembles.

Outlook

Looking ahead, Elisaveta Blumina defines conducting as the central axis of her artistic future. Drawing on decades of experience as a performer, curator, and educator, she brings to the podium a rare combination of musical depth, structural precision, and human engagement — qualities that continue to shape her growing presence as a conductor on the international stage.