Born in Minsk in 1984, Artiom Shishkov’s connection with the violin began at the age of five under the gentle guidance of Janna Kutchinsky. By the age of eight, he took his first steps into the world of performance, debuting as a soloist with the chamber orchestra of the Belarus State Philharmonic.
Between 1994 and 2002, Artiom pursued his studies at the Republic Music College, later continuing at the Belarus State Academy of Music with Eduard Kutchinsky. His curiosity and commitment eventually led him to the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts, where Dora Schwarzberg helped him uncover new dimensions of his craft.
Artiom’s path has included being awarded prizes at 19 international competitions. These include the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels, the International Leopold Auer Competition and Yankelevitch Violin Competition.
His love for music has brought him to perform at festivals across Europe and beyond, including the Menuhin Gstaad Festival, the Festival de l’été Mosan, the Klara Festival the Swiss Music Festival and the Musica Mundi Festival. Artiom has performed with orchestras such as the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, the National Orchestra of Belgium, the National Philharmonic of Russia, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
As the first violin of the Lipkind Quartet, Artiom and his fellow musicians recorded New Worlds in 2012, an album that reflects their shared exploration of classical compositions by Barber, Bloch, Rachmaninov, and Dvorak.
Between 2016 and 2020, Artiom expanded his artistic horizons by collaborating with choreographer Laurent Chétouane on four dance and music creations performed across Europe. This period was a time of exploration, where music and movement intertwined, revealing new ways to express the human experience.
In 2018, Artiom recorded two of J.S. Bach’s solo violin works—Sonata No. 2 in A minor and Partita No. 2 in D minor. Released on Backlash Music, the album stands out for its simplicity and honesty, recorded in a single breath without edits, capturing the raw essence of live performance.
Teaching is another part of Artiom’s musical life, and he has offered masterclasses across the world—from Austria and Germany to India and the United States.
Artiom plays on a Giovanni Battista Gabrielli violin from 1760, an instrument whose voice carries the depth and beauty of centuries, reminding us that music, like life, is ever- evolving yet timeless in its essence.