Georgy Kovalev, born in 1990 in Tbilisi (Georgia), is one of the leading violists of his generation. He studied with Yuri Bashmet, Matthias Buchholz in Cologne, and Nobuko Imai at the Kronberg Academy, completing his studies with Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” in Berlin.
He has performed with leading orchestras such as the Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra, the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra, and the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.
Kovalev is a prizewinner and finalist of international competitions such as the Yuri Bashmet International Competition in Moscow, the Tokyo International Viola Competition, and the Johannes Brahms International Competition. In 2011, he received the Neva Foundation Prize awarded by the Verbier Festival.
As a chamber musician, he has performed with artists including Gidon Kremer, Christian Tetzlaff, Steven Isserlis, Yuri Bashmet, Fazil Say, Frans Helmerson, Emanuel Ax, Jörg Widmann, Viviane Hagner, Claudio Bohórquez, and Lawrence Lesser, at renowned international music festivals such as the Schubertiade, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Heidelberger Frühling, Rheingau Festival, and the Kronberg Academy Festival.
He has appeared in prestigious venues including Victoria Hall (Geneva), Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), Cologne Philharmonic Hall, Kioi Hall (Tokyo), Prinzregentheater (Munich), Gordon Bennett Hall (Chicago), and the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.