Natasha Boyarsky 1946-2025

Renowned violinist and teacher Natasha (Natalia) Boyarsky, who passed away on 18 December 2025, was one of the most influential violin pedagogues of her generation, shaping the lives and careers of hundreds of musicians across the world.

A graduate of the Moscow school, she studied with distinguished teachers including Isaac Urovetsky, Maya Glezarova, Yuri Yankelevich, Felix Andrievsky and Mark Lubotsky. She performed widely as a soloist and chamber musician across the USSR, and from 1965 taught at the college and school affiliated with the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, where she served for many years as Head of the String Department.

In 1991 she was invited by Yehudi Menuhin to settle in the UK and join the Yehudi Menuhin School, later also becoming Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music. Menuhin wrote: “I consider her one of the best teachers I have come across.”

Natasha was the backbone of the violin department at YMS for decades, and taught generations of violinists (and viola players): Alina Ibragimova, Nicola Benedetti, Valeriy Sokolov, Corina Belcea, Sasha Sitkovetsky, Sasha Rachline, Dimitri Murrath, Vlad Maistrovici, Cosima and Sao Soulez Larivière, Sam and Louisa Staples, and many more musicians who went on to have accomplished careers.

A demanding perfectionist, Natasha was deeply devoted to her pupils, instilling impeccable physical foundations and enabling them to play with natural ease and individuality. Her students – now soloists, teachers and orchestral musicians worldwide – stand as her lasting legacy.