About this Artist

SERGE OSKOTSKY was born into a family of musicians. His father held principal second violin position at the legendary Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under Eugene Mravinsky. His mother, renowned piano teacher, started Serge on piano at the age of five. At the age of seven, Serge began studying the cello. Following his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory School of Music, Oskotsky graduated from the Moscow Conservatory College, where he studied with Gayane Mndoyan and Natalya Shakhovskaya.

After coming to the United States, Oskotsky worked in the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Chamber Orchestra while finishing the prestigious Artist Diploma program (working with Eleonore Schoenfeld at the University of Southern California), which he completed in 2000. Having received an invitation and scholarship, Oskotsky took part in the biennial Piatigorsky Seminar, studying with Zara Nelsova, Siegfried Palm, and Harvey Shapiro.

Oskotsky is a top prizewinner in a number of competitions, including the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition and the Irving Klein International String Competition. He participated and served as principal cellist with the Savannah International Arts Festival, the Summit Music Festival, the Nyirbator Music Festival, and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, conducted by Semyon Bychkov and Sir Georg Solti.

Oskotsky participated in the International Academy of Music in New York and in his native St. Petersburg, Russia. In Los Angeles Oskotsky participates and regularly performs in the Classical Underground series. He also performs chamber music concerts as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Society and the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group.

Oskotsky has been a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since the 1996/97 season.