Oleksandr Ahafonov (23)

Oleksandr Ahafonov was born in 2002 in Kharkiv, Ukraine and started playing the violin at the age of five. In 2019 he graduated Kharkiv State Music Lyceum (Ukraine) in the class of Lyudmila Varenina. During high school he won several prizes at national and international competitions and participated many times in music festivals in Ukraine.

From Oktober 2019 to September 2023 he studied at Robert Schumann Hochschule Düsseldorf in the class of Prof. Andrej Bielow. Oleksandr was awarded with the first prize and the Audience prize at the International Classical Bridge Compeition 2021. In Oktober 2022 participated at the 10th International LOUIS SPOHR Competition for Young Violinists and was awarded with a Special prize (Scholarship for participation in the Weimar Master Classes).

He participated in the masterclasses of Leonidas Kavakos, Prof. Boris Garlitsky, Prof. Andrej Bielow, Prof. Krzysztof Węgrzyn, Prof. Boris Brovtsyn, Prof. Alissa Margulis, Prof. Marie Chilemme, Prof. Luc-Marie Aguera, Prof. Yovan Markovitch, Prof. Tedi Papavrami, Kirill Troussov and Prof. Monika Urbaniak-Lisik.

He was a scholarship holder of Oscar und Vera Ritter-Stiftung, VERE MUSIC FUND (for participation of the masterclasses in 2018), DAAD-Stipendium, Deutschlandstipendium, scholarship from the President of Ukraine (2017-2019).

In February 2023 he participated at the 2023 Modelhof world festival of perfoming arts.
In March 2023 he started to play the viola and shortly after he met a decision to change to viola completely and has already participated in the LEAD! Foundation Fiskars Summer Festival 2023 directed by Jukka-Pekka Saraste. (Chamber- and orchestra academy) and Talent Summer Courses both 2023 amd 2024 in Brescia with Prof. Alexander Zemtsov-Gordon, where he also won the competition to play with an orchestra. He as well participated in the Easter Festival 2024 of LEAD! Foundation, LEAD! Foundation collaboration with Helsinki Philharmonic with Mahler 8 led by Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Fiskars Summer Festival 2024.
From September 2023 Oleksandr is studying Viola at Haute école de musique Lausanne with Prof. Alexander Zemtsov-Gordon