Cellist Ivan Skanavi Becomes a Larsen Strings Artist

Skanavi plays the Il Cannone strings and is a current student at the Kronberg Academy in Germany

Larsen Strings has announced the addition of cellist Ivan Skanavi to their family of Larsen Artists. A talent nurtured at the Kronberg Academy, Ivan has been playing Larsen's strings for over a decade.

He currently plays the Il Cannone strings on his ca. 1720 Goffriller cello.

“I was first introduced to Larsen Strings in 2014 at the Kronberg Festival and I immediately understood that this would be a long-term relationship: we simply matched in our understanding of sound and philosophy, which is all about the music,” Ivan Skanavi shares.

“Ivan's dedication to his craft and his exceptional musicality make him an ideal ambassador for Larsen Strings. We are honoured to support him in his artistic journey for many decades to come,” says Dr. Thomas Zwieg, head of Product Development at Larsen Strings.

Enjoy Ivan's recent recital as part of The Violin Channel and Kronberg Academy's Young Virtuosi Series. 

The winner of the 2022 Grand-Prix Emanuel Feuermann, Ivan Skanavi is a student of Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at Kronberg Academy. He started on the cello at the age of six in Moscow under Tamara Alekseeva. He continued in Moscow Conservatory in the class of Professor Alexey Seleznev and later by Professor Alexander Rudin, before moving to Germany to study at the University FRANZ LISZT in Weimar with his current mentor Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.

Skanavi’s resume of performances includes a number of high-profile festivals such as Verbier Music Festival, Kronberg Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Gezeitenkonzerte, “I Mozartini” Festival, International Mstislav Rostropovich Festival, amongst others.

Following Skanavi’s successes at the Tchaikovsky International Competition and ARD International Competition, he debuted at the Moscow Philharmonic with the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra in 2020. He has gone on to perform with orchestras including but not limited to the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Kammerphilharmonie Metamorphosen Berlin, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, and Musica Viva Orchestra.

Skanavi is an active teacher and holds the position of a Visiting Professor in LPMAM (London Performing Academy of music).