Described by Chicago Tribune as “a violinist of fine promise”, Artem Diaz Kolesov is a violinist from Saint Petersburg, Russia. After he became a winner of the Young Artist International violin competition in Tallinn, Estonia, he also won the Freiburg International competition in Germany. His performances with the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic at 15 years old led to a full scholarship to study with Philippe Djokic at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Canada. While in Canada, Artem won the Canadian National Festival in both solo violin and chamber group categories, and soloed with orchestras across the country. An avid chamber musician, Artem has worked with the Ying, Pacifica, Juilliard and Tokai string quartets, and was a guest artist at the St. Cecilia and the Music Room concert series for three seasons, where he performed chamber works alongside professional musicians.
After moving to Chicago to study with Almita Vamos, Artem won the CCPA Competition and performed the J. Brahms Violin Concerto in the Chicago Symphony Hall. As a former member of the Yas Quartet he was a prize winner at the Schoenfeld International Competition in 2016 and a guest artist at Colorado College Music Festival.
A passionate advocate for the arts and education, Artem currently teaches at Kadima Conservatory of Music where he works with underprivileged communities. He also has a private studio where he teaches violin, piano, theory and voice training.
Artem also performs solo and in chamber ensembles on a regular basis with Street Symphony project that works with several organizations located in Skid Row, Los Angeles.