Lev Nesterov, violin

Born into a family of musicians, Russian-Canadian violinist Lev Nesterov is in his final year of his Master of Music degree in performance at the University of Ottawa, studying with Yehonatan Berick, Yosuke Kawasaki, Michael van der Sloot and Jean-Hee Lee. He is an alumnus of the Academy of Music for the Gifted Youth at the Mount Royal Conservatory. Lev is also a graduate of the University of Calgary, where he completed his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance under Joan Barrett and Edmond Agopian. There from the 2013 to 2015 seasons, he also performed alongside music faculty in the UCalgary String Quartet, the university's Ensemble-in-Residence.

Over the years, Lev has performed and has taken part in masterclasses at music festivals at the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, Young Artists Program in Ottawa, Morningside Music Bridge in Shanghai, China and Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax. Lev has also been a two-time member of the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, the orchestra-in-residence for the Brott Music Festival - Canada’s largest orchestral music festival. In a concertmaster role, he has led the Calgary Youth, University of Calgary, and University of Ottawa orchestras. As a violin soloist, Lev has performed with the Edmonton Symphony and the University of Calgary Orchestras, and most recently with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as the winner of the 2013 RBC Concerto Competition. Chamber music festival appearances in Western Canada include the Contrasts and Mountain View Connection summer festivals, as well as performances in various Alberta ensembles including the Timepoint Ensemble, Rocky Mountain Chamber Ensemble, plus a variety of shows for Theatre Calgary, the National Music Centre, Calgary Opera Emerging Artists, Mercury Opera, and Alberta Ballet. In the spring of 2019, Lev also made his solo and chamber recital debuts at the National Art Centre’s Fourth Stage.

As a passionate chamber musician, Lev was the founder and first violinist of the Volante String Quartet, where since 2009 he has performed a multitude of concerts in towns and cities all across Alberta and British Columbia, as well as at various local community outreach programs. Professional orchestra appearances include the Calgary Philharmonic and the Ottawa, Edmonton, Red Deer and Drummondville Symphony Orchestras.

Lev plays on a 2013 violin by American maker Ryan L. Soltis.