Aleksey Igudesman, born in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union, hails from a musically inclined Jewish family. At the age of 6, he and his family immigrated to Germany. When he turned 12, he gained admission to the Yehudi Menuhin School in England. From 1989 to 1998, he pursued his violin studies under the tutelage of Boris Kuschnir at the Vienna Conservatory.
Igudesman has authored several books published by Universal Edition, including titles like “Style Workout,” “The Catscratchbook,” and “Pigs Can Fly.” Additionally, he has created violin duet books such as “Klezmer & More,” “Celtic & More,” “Latin & More,” and “Asia & More.”
In a project called “Violins of the World,” Igudesman has performed his violin duets alongside renowned musicians like Gidon Kremer, Julian Rachlin, Janine Jansen, Vadim Repin, Pavel Vernikov, and Alexandra Soumm. Igudesman’s poetry has been recited by Roger Moore. With his string trio named Triology, he has conducted concerts worldwide and recorded several CDs for Sony BMG.
Igudesman frequently tours with pianist Hyung-ki Joo as the music and comedy duo “Igudesman & Joo.”
Beyond his musical pursuits, Igudesman is also an actor and film director. His directorial debut, “Noseland,” a mockumentary featuring classical musicians like Julian Rachlin, Mischa Maisky, and actors John Malkovich and Roger Moore, premiered at the Transylvanian International Film Festival in Romania in June 2012. It went on to win “Most Entertaining Documentary” at DocMiami 2012 and received a cinematic release in Germany.
He is a co-founder of Music Traveler, which offers an app for searching and booking practice rooms. Notably, Music Traveler boasts several prominent musicians as ambassadors, including Billy Joel, Hans Zimmer, John Malkovich, Sean Lennon, and Adrien Brody.
