Born into a family of musicians, Polly Klein was surrounded by music from her early life.
Having started to play the violin at the age of five, she became the fifth generation of musi-
cians in her family. She debuted with the Bach Chamber Orchestra when she was nine years
old in her native Yekaterinburg, Russia. While studying in a Special Music School, Polly won
the first prize at the 2015 International Mstislav and Leopold Rostropovich Competition in
Orenburg. She also won various other Russian competitions and was chosen to be supported
by the Denis Matsuev “New Names” Foundation for young musicians. Consequently, in 2016,
she went to the summer music school in Suzdal, Russia, where she took lessons with Mikhail
Gotsdiner. She participated in masterclasses with Rollo Kovac, Itamar Zorman, Alexander
Trostiansky, Alexander Pavlovsky, and others. Additionally, she won several competitions spon-
sored by Vladimir Spivakov.
Polly moved to Israel with her parents in 2018, at the age of sixteen. There, she contin-
ued her music education at the Jerusalem Academy of Music, where Polly won the second
prize at the David Grits competition in 2021. While living in Russia and Israel, she used to play
different styles of music in ensembles with her family, such as klezmer, gypsy jazz, and various
arrangements made by her father. In the fall of 2021, after receiving an offer of the full tuition
scholarship, Polly moved to the United States to pursue her career as a professional violinist.
Currently, she studies in the Bachelor Degree at the University of North Texas under the
guidance of the violin pedagogue Julia Bushkova. After her freshman year, Polly was awarded
a full scholarship at the prestigious summer festival, Brevard Music Center, where she gave
seventeen solo and chamber music performances in seven weeks. Last week, she was chosen
as the UNT Concerto Competition winner.
My Dreams and Goals
“To me, Music has always been the way of communicating with others. Based on my experi-
ence, I have seen how music changes minds, moods, and life perspectives. Playing music for me
is not just a career but also a way of living. My dream is to become a solo artist, travel and
share the story of my life. Additionally, I believe that music is absolutely something special and
supernatural which is the most powerful thing in this world, and I am responsible to convey
these feelings to others. Growing up in a musical family, I was introduced to various styles of
music that mean as much to me as classical music does. Because I was a part of making music
in these different styles, I am as comfortable playing them as I am in classical music. My goal
right now is to work as hard as I can to become a soloist in classical genre.”
–Polly Klein