Described as “a magnetic presence” (New York Classical Review), violinist Alena Baeva is considered one of the most versatile and captivating soloists active on the world stage today. Possessing a passionate musical curiosity, Baeva holds a vast active repertoire: she is a champion of lesser-known works by composers such as Bacewicz, Karaev, Karłowicz and Silvestrov, alongside the mainstream violin literature.
In the 2026/27 season, Alena Baeva is Artist-in-Residence with both the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, appearing as concerto soloist and chamber musician. Further highlights include performances with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre de chambre de Paris, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Frankfurt Radio Symphony among others. She will play-direct programmes with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Zürich Chamber Orchestra and Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra.
York Philharmonic Orchestra, NHK Symphony and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony orchestras, Hong Kong and Seoul philharmonic orchestras, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, to name only a few. She has worked with leading conductors including Paavo Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Klaus Mäkelä, Riccardo Minasi, Tomáš Netopil, Kazushi Ono, Petr Popelka, Kazuki Yamada and Marta Gardolińska.
Chamber music holds a particularly special place in Baeva’s musical life, and she enjoys collaborations with such artists as Vadym Kholodenko, Yuri Bashmet, Daishin Kashimoto, Mischa Maisky, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Lawrence Power and the Belcea Quartet. Baeva frequently performs at Music Festivals worldwide including the BBC Proms, Risør Festival, Musikfest Bremen, and Chopin and his Europe to name only a few.
Baeva records for the Alpha Classics label. Released in 2026, her latest album is Vol.1 of the integral cycle of Beethoven violin sonatas, recorded with Vadym Kholodenko. Selected as the Editor’s Choice for Gramophone, the recording is praised as reaching “sunny highs and stormy depths.” (Apple) and as “an example of the coherence we should always expect from artists” (Scherzo). Her previous release Fantasy features works by Schubert, Stravinsky, Schumann and Messiaen, also recorded with Vadym Kholodenko. Baeva’s discography also includes Wieniawski Violin Concerto No.2 on gut strings with Orchestra of the XVIII Century (2021); Karłowicz Violin Concerto with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2018); Schumann Violin Concerto and original 1844 version of Mendelssohn Violin Concerto for Melodiya Records (2020). In October 2026, Alpha Classics will release Baeva’s recording of Strauss and Bartók Violin Concertos with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Paavo Järvi.
Born in Kyrgyzstan with Slavic-Tatar ancestry, Baeva took her first violin lessons at the age of five under renowned pedagogue Olga Danilova in Kazakhstan before studying with Professor Eduard Grach in Russia. She also took lessons with Mstislav Rostropovich, Boris Garlitsky, and Shlomo Mintz. Naturalised Luxembourgish, Alena Baeva has resided in Luxembourg since 2010.
Alena Baeva plays on the “ex-William Kroll” Guarneri del Gesù of 1738 – on a generous loan from an anonymous patron, with the kind assistance of J&A Beare.