Michael Kugel (2)

Viola player. Michael Kugel was born on December 5, 1946 in Kharkov, former Soviet Union. He completed his musical education at the St. Petersburg Conservatory under the guidance of Yuri Kamarov. In 1975 he won the first prize of the International Viola Competition in Budapest. We was a soloist with the Moscow State Philharmonia, member of the Beethoven State Quartet and Professor at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. After immigrating to Israel in 1990, he served as Professor at the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance and a member and soloist of the Israel Camerata, Jerusalem. In 1996 he settled in Belgium and is now a Professor at the Ghent Conservatory and at the Conservatorium Maastricht in the Netherlands. Mr. Kugel has appeared as soloist and conductor with many orchestras around the world. He recorded a number of CD's, performed at various festivals and international viola congresses in Europe, the USA and Japan. He is the author of several books: "Shostakovich's Viola Sonata", "Bartok's Viola Concerto — the History of Our Century" and "The Masterpieces of Viola Repertoire". He also composed works for viola, as well as chamber and orchestral music.