Biography

Sofia Levchenko was born in a small town Navoi, Uzbekistan. Growing up in Uzbekistan, Sofia advocates for classical music in her homeland by giving solo concerts throughout the country, forming new music performance ensembles, and working at the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan. For the past six years, Sofia has been an active performer and teacher in the United States.

She made her public solo debut at fourteen with Young Soloists of Uzbekistan at the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan. Since then, she has appeared as soloist with all the major orchestras in the country performing works by Mendelssohn, Paganini, Wieniawski, Sarasate, Vieuxtemp, and Vivaldi. 

In addition to her impressive violin skills, Sofia brings over 14 years of intensive piano study to her musical journey, complemented by substantial experience teaching piano to beginners and intermediate-level students. Her dual musical expertise not only enriches her performances but also her ability to inspire and educate budding musicians.

She has also represented Uzbekistan at international festivals such as Ensemble Academy Freiburg, the Pacific Music Festival in Japan, and Wintergreen Summer Music Festival. Additionally, Sofia advocates for young contemporary Uzbek composers by performing their works as a part of recital repertoire.

Sofia believes that contemporary classical music should be an essential part of the repertoire. In 2011 she was invited to become a member of Omnibus Ensemble – the leading ensemble for contemporary music in Central Asia. As a member, she collaborated with artists from ensembles such as Bang on a Can, ACJW, MusikFabrik, Ensemble Recherche, and Nieuw Ensemble. Sofia also managed a few projects, including “the Online Laboratorium Peabody – Tashkent” devoted to the integration of Uzbek music into the Western classical music form. By organizing an online laboratory between Uzbek and American musicians she was advocating for and drawing attention to the unique music heritage of Uzbekistan.

Sofia has spent years working as a music educator in outreach and state-funded music education projects inspiring young musicians to pursue careers in the classical music profession. At age twenty-two, Sofia started teaching at the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, where she focused on coaching chamber music ensembles and performed with conservatory students. In 2017, Sofia was honored to accept a Teaching Assistant position of internationally acclaimed violinist Prof. Dmitri Berlinsky at the Michigan State University (MSU), College of Music. Upon completion of her duties at MSU, Sofia continued her path at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she is also a Teaching Assistant and mainly conducts and leads rehearsals with University Orchestra at Stony Brook.

Sofia is currently the Concertmaster at Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra. She also holds positions as a section musician with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and West Michigan Symphony Orchestra. After completing her master’s degree and Performance Diploma at MSU, she began her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Prof. Hagai Shaham, Arnaud Sussman, and Jennifer Frautschi.