Charismatic and spiritual violinist Anton Ilyunin was born in
1979 into a musical family in the beautiful Central Asian City of Ash-
gabat in Turkmenistan. He began studying violin with his mother and
soon entered the Music School for Gifted children.
From 1996 until 2000, he studied at National Conservatoire
in Ashgabat. During this period, still being very young, Anton Ilyunin
performed a series of recitals with the Turkmen State Symphony
Orchestra and premiered contemporary violin concertos by Turkmen
composers. In 2000 he continued his education at the Saint-Peters-
burg State Conservatoire. In 2002, he graduated from the Conserva-
toire with highest departmental honours in violin.
Between 2001 and 2006, Anton was co-Principal second violinist
in the Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Yuri Temirkan-
ov. Since 2006 Anton decided to concentrate on his solo career and
chamber music playing; together with three other members of the
Atrium String Quartet (founded in 2000) he moved to Amsterdam
and later to Berlin. He continued his violin studies in the «Hoch-
schule für Müsik Hanns Eisler Berlin» where he received his Konzer-
texamen Diploma in 2009.
Together with the Atrium Quartet Anton is the winner of
two most important String Quartet Competitions in London 2003
and Bordeaux 2007. Atrium Quartet during last decade has been
performed more than 1000 concerts on 5 continents in 30 countries.
CD-recordings of the quartet has been nominated to prestigious
musical awards, and many times named the CDs of the months in the
Gramophone and Luister Magazines.