The Yehudi Menuhin School Appoints New Faculty

The school has appointed violinists Boris Brovtsyn and Pavel Vernikov as Professor of Violin and Visiting Professor, respectively

The Yehudi Menuhin School, the specialist music school in England, was founded in 1963 by violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin. Boris Brovtsyn and Pavel Vernikov will join violinist and pedagogue Robin Wilson who was announced as a Professor earlier this year.

As a performer, Boris Brovtsyn's repertoire includes over fifty violin concertos and hundreds of chamber works, some of which he premiered. He is currently holding a professorship at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität in Vienna He has previously held a professorship at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 2010 until 2016 in addition to giving masterclasses internationally.

“I’m thrilled to start a new chapter of my life. So many of my friends and colleagues have long associations with YMS, so it’s a pleasure to play a role in nurturing the next generation of young musicians," Brovtsyn said. "It feels like a homecoming, and I’m delighted to be at the School.”

Following a masterclass in April 2023, Pavel Vernikov will visit the Yehudi Menuhin School on a regular basis throughout the academic year.  A prizewinner at the ARD Violin Competition in Munich and the Grand Prix International Violin Competition Vittorio Gui in Florence, he has since appeared at venues such as the Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, among many others. The founder of the Tibor Junior Violin Competition, he has been the artistic director of the Sion Festival since 2013.

“I spent some wonderful days at the famous Menuhin School. It's a fantastic school with very talented and sympathetic pupils," Vernikov commented. "It was a great pleasure to work with them. I am looking forward to continuing our collaboration as Visiting Professor.”

The Yehudi Menuhin School provides education for 90 exceptional pupils aged from 11 to 19 — with specialties in the stringed instruments, piano, and classical guitar. Alumni include Nicola Benedetti, Alina Ibragimova, Tasmin Little, and Alexander Sitkovetsky.

“When advertising for a new Professor of Violin last year, the School received over 90 applications from teachers and performers around the globe," said Ashley Wass, YMS Director of Music. "It is a testament to Boris’s ability to inspire, therefore, that he was the unanimous choice of everyone involved in the selection process. There is no doubt that he will be a wonderful guide for the pupils under his care, and an exceptional colleague to the staff of YMS."

"Pavel needed no introduction to our pupils; his standing as one of the world’s pre-eminent pedagogues ensured that he was already well-known to all," she continued. "His warmth, dynamism and inspirational insights delighted everyone when he visited us for a series of masterclasses last month. We can’t wait to welcome him back on a regular basis in the years to come."