Leonidas Kavakos
Leonidas Kavakos is a Greek violinist and conductor. He has won several international violin competition prizes, including the Sibelius (1985), Paganini, Naumburg, and Indianapolis competitions. He is an Onassis Foundation scholar. He has also recorded for record labels such as Sony/BMG and BIS
Paganini Competition. Recording the Beethoven Violin Concerto, Complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas, and he curates an annual violin and chamber-music masterclass in Athens
We saw him playing Busoni Violin Sonata with Bill Wigmore Hall 1st July 2026 with Kiril Gernstein on piano
Kavakos performs on the "Willemotte" Stradivarius of 1734, which he acquired from London and New York-based dealer and expert, Florian Leonhard.[11] Kavakos had been playing the "Abergavenny" Stradivarius of 1724 since February 2010. He sold the "Falmouth" Stradivarius of 1692, and a 1782 violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (Torino).