Hamburg-born violinist and conductor Philip A. Draganov has captivated audiences across Europe, Asia, and the United States with his “impulsive virtuosity… and exuberant musical power” (Hamburger Abendblatt). He made his solo debut at the age of twelve with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg and has since built a multifaceted international career as a soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and concertmaster.
While Draganov has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues — including Carnegie Hall in New York, Tonhalle Zürich, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Kölner Philharmonie, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, and Alte Oper Frankfurt — and appeared at leading music festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, his primary focus today is on teaching and mentoring the next generation of musicians.
A highly sought-after pedagogue, Draganov is Professor of Violin at the Bern Academy of the Arts (HKB) and also teaches at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). In addition, he regularly gives masterclasses across Europe and Asia and serves as a juror at international competitions. He is the Artistic Director of the Swiss International Music Academy (SIMA) and a board member of the European String Teachers Association (ESTA), actively contributing to the development of string education.
Many of Draganov’s students have gone on to become concertmasters and members of leading European orchestras — including the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB), Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (DSO), and the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam — and have won top prizes at major competitions such as the Tibor Varga, Fritz Kreisler, Marschner, Michael Hill, Postacchini, Menuhin, Berlin Music Competition, and Louis Spohr competitions.
In the last fifteen years, Philip A. Draganov has also performed regularly as a conductor, leading a wide range of chamber and symphony orchestra projects that have become an important part of his artistic work. He has collaborated with ensembles such as the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the Karlsbad Symphony Orchestra, and has conducted at international festivals including the Seongnam Music Festival in South Korea. He works closely with the orchestras of the Bern Academy of the Arts and the Zurich University of the Arts, where he has contributed significantly to performances of all Beethoven symphonies.
Draganov received his early education as a pre-college student at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) and later studied at The Juilliard School in New York. After returning to Europe, he continued his studies with Herman Krebbers (Amsterdam), Jens Ellermann (Hannover), Ida Bieler (Düsseldorf), and Nora Chastain (Zurich).
He performs on a 1769 violin by Tomaso Balestrieri, a student of Stradivarius, and also on modern instruments by Stephan von Baehr (Paris/Hamburg) and Peter Greiner (London/Zurich). He lives near Zurich with his wife, a pianist, and their two children.