Ivan Kalashnykov, is a Freshman at American Heritage School in Plantation, Florida. His interest in musical instruments started in 2nd grade. Ivan joined the School Orchestra and grew to play as a principal violin and then principal viola. In the summer of 2018, Ivan joined Dr. Leana Strouse’s music studio and continues studying violin and viola. Ivan participated in district and state-level FFMC festivals from the elementary level, earning first-place awards almost every year. In 2021, Ivan was awarded “Outstanding Violist” at the FFMC State Festival, and in 2022, earned an Honorable Mention in the Florida State Violin Concerto competition. In 2023 and 2024 Ivan was accepted to All-State Florida Orchestra viola section. He enjoys sports, reading, and listening to 78 RPM records in his spare time.
Watch Ivan Kalashnykov perform Concerto in D Major mov 1 by Franz Hoffmeister on the viola for the 2025 Classical Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.