Second Violin
Natasha Bazhanov has been a member of the Seattle Symphony since 2015. Born in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Bazhanov began playing violin at the age of 5. After winning several regional youth competitions, she made her solo debut at the age of 9 with Ural State Philharmonic Orchestra and was later invited to Moscow Central Music School to join the class of Professor Belenky. She was one of five people chosen to participate in Sir Yehudi Menuhin's masterclass during his historic visit to Moscow. After graduating with honors, Bazhanov was accepted to the Moscow Conservatory and toured extensively throughout Europe, taking part in festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein, Evian, Bonn and Schloss Ort. After moving to the United States, she became a member of The Florida Orchestra’s violin section, where she met husband and fellow Seattle Symphony Second Violin Artur Girsky, and later, became its principal second violinist. In 2006, she relocated to Seattle to join the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra, also playing regularly with Seattle Opera before ending up as a permanent player in the Seattle Symphony. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Marc-André Hamelin, Frank Braley, Alexei Lybimov and in many of the Seattle Symphony's Chamber Series programs, including performing both of the Brahms Sextets with her colleagues.
