"Concertmaster and Artistic Director Yuriy Bekker leads the nearly 90-year-old Charleston Symphony into a new era of musicianship and growth."
Charleston Symphony
CHARLESTON MAGAZINE
Yuriy Bekker is a critically acclaimed violinist, conductor, and visionary artistic leader based in Charleston, SC. A dynamic force within the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (CSO) since 2007, Bekker currently serves as Artistic Director (2021–), Concertmaster (2007–), and Principal Pops Conductor (2016–). He previously led the organization as Acting Artistic Director from 2010–2014, playing a key role in the orchestra’s artistic and organizational resurgence.
Bekker’s passion for audience engagement and artistic excellence continues to shape the CSO’s identity and growth. His programming has attracted celebrated artists including Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, and he was instrumental in launching the CSO’s Carnegie Hall debut in 2025. His leadership has contributed to record audience growth, donor engagement, and a strengthened endowment.
Bekker has performed worldwide as a celebrated guest concertmaster, avid chamber musician, and critically acclaimed soloist. He has held the position of concertmaster at the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria, and has held additional positions with the Houston Symphony and the Houston Grand Opera and Ballet Orchestras. He has also served as guest concertmaster at the Vancouver Symphony, Ulster Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Kansas City Symphony. He has performed in venues and festivals such as the Kennedy Center, Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Pacific Music Festival (Japan), and the European Music Festival (Germany).
A dedicated educator, Bekker is on faculty at the College of Charleston, where he teaches violin and conducts the College of Charleston Orchestra. Under his leadership, the orchestra has experienced unprecedented growth and performed with soloists including Sarah Chang and Augustin Hadelich. Bekker has also been Music Director of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Spotlight Chamber Music Series and is co-founder of the Charleston Chamber Music Intensive. During the summer, he also serves on the faculty of the Gingold Chamber Music Festival in Miami.
In 2011, Bekker was honored with the Outstanding Artistic Achievement award from the city of Charleston for his cultural contributions to the community.
Bekker is a strong advocate for contemporary music, having commissioned works by Edward Hart and Thomas Cabaniss. His recording Under an Indigo Sky reached the Billboard Top 10 Classical chart. Additionally, his debut CD Twentieth Century Duos was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards.
Bekker studied violin with Nelli Shkolnikova, Ilya Kaler, and Herbert Greenberg, and conducting with David Zinman, Christopher Wilkins, Imre Palló, and David Effron. He holds degrees from Indiana University and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory.
Born in Minsk, Belarus, Bekker is now a U.S. citizen and performs on a 1638 Franz Degen Andrea Guarneri violin, generously on loan from a private patron.
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