The orchestra’s members regard Bohodar Kotorovych as the father of their success and inspiration. Indeed, Bohodar has devoted 20 years to developing and polishing the players’ skills, in order for them to become an exemplary team of top musicians, virtuosos and unique. His individuality and undoubted talents have brought worldwide recognition and admiration to the Kyiv Soloists orchestra.

Born in the Polish town of Hrubeszow on 3 July 1941, Bohodar Kotorovych spent his childhood and youth in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv. “My first music impressions were connected with the Opera Theatre, where my father used to work as an engineer. He sang in the choir, having inherited a beautiful voice from his grandfather, an Orthodox priest.”

In 1966 Kotorovych graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, the most prestigious music higher education establishment in the Soviet Union. Shortly afterwards he became a laureate of two international competitions for violinists – the George Enescu Competition in Bucharest [1967] and the Paganini Competition in Genoa [1971]. Throughout years Bohodar was invited to the jury of tens of international competitions: International Paganini Competition (Genoa), Lipicer Competition (Goricia, Italy), Nilsen Competition (Odence, Denmark), Vrosky Competition (Warsaw), Tchaikovsky Competition (Moscow), ARD (Munich), as well as other competitions in Senday (Japan), Ottawa, Hague etc. In the mid 1990s, he established the International Competition of Young Violinists Bohodar Kotorovych.

In 1967 Kotorovych became a soloist at the National Philharmonic. He also started teaching at the violin department of Kyiv Conservatory, and later became a professor and the head of the department. “He is a wise pedagogue, who puts his every effort in opening up and developing young talents,” Kotorovych’s colleagues say, sharing their thoughts.

From 1994 to 1999 Kotorovych was working as an invited professor in the Sydney Conservatory. “I went to Sydney on a five-year contract to work at the conservatory. And though I had every chance and reason to stay, I didn’t. I couldn’t,” says Bohodar.

At the beginning of his artistic life Bohodar Kotorovych became famous for his performance of the works of Bach: in one night he played all of his six sonatas. Later on he was dazzled by the works of Paganini and Vivaldi, and then the romantics – Schubert, Schumann, Sibelius, and Mendelssohn.

The vast geography of Bohodar’s concerts includes Italy and Finland, France and Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Austria and Japan, Germany and Canada, Macedonia and South Korea, Poland and Slovenia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark and post-Soviet countries.

Since 1995 he has been the head, chief conductor and art manager of the National Chamber Orchestra Kyiv Soloists, upon which he concentrates all his forces, professional experience and natural talent. “I left the violin. Performing went backstage. I’m enthralled by conducting and all of my interests at the moment are there”, shares Bohodar Kotorovych.

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