Raised in Music and Raising the Bar
Vladimir is a graduating violinist of the MYS Symphony Orchestra and a 12th grader at The Breck School. He studies violin with Lucinda Marvin (MacPhail Center for Music) and Kyu-Young Kim (SPCO).
From an early age, Vladimir was immersed in music, thanks in large part to his mother Irina Elkina, who is a professional pianist. “My mom is an incredible accompanist, and I’m so lucky to have her,” he says. “I actually used to think all moms were accompanists!” Vladimir began piano lessons with his mom around age five and soon picked up the violin as well. He was quickly drawn to the violin’s expressive range and ability to create nuance. “I felt like there was more of a sandbox for me to play in,” he explains.
That early exposure to music—and the close collaborative bond forming with his mom, his perennial accompanist—helped fuel his development. At age eleven, Vladimir entered his first two competitions around the same time, performing Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto. “I hadn’t seen many people my age play with an orchestra,” he recalls. Watching older winners, he assumed it would take him much longer to reach their level. To his surprise, he won both competitions. The prospect of performing with an orchestra was daunting—he had never even worked with another accompanist before, let alone a full ensemble. But the experience proved formative: “I’m very grateful I had those opportunities so early in my life.” He credits those performances with sparking his desire to become a soloist.
Since then, Vladimir has appeared as a soloist with nearly a dozen orchestras, including the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra, Mankato Symphony Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, and the MYS Symphony Orchestra. He’s appeared on From the Top and earned top prizes from Schubert Club, Mary West, MacPhail, and YPSCA, among others. But for Vladimir, it’s not about the accolades. “Music, in the end, is a form of entertainment. If I’m not being entertained, then I’m doing something wrong,” he says. “I think it’s so cool that something that doesn’t take much effort for me in the moment—obviously, there’s all the practicing!—but I can bring people so much joy, and I don’t lose any joy in the process.”
One of his recent highlights was sharing the stage with Mark Mandarano for the MacPhail Concerto and Aria Concert last month. “It was nice to reunite with him,” Vladimir says, recalling fondly their work together when Vladimir played Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D Minor in 2023 as winner of the MYS Symphony Solo Competition. He praises Mandarano as the best conductor he’s worked with so far: someone who brings deep understanding of every score and runs highly efficient rehearsals. “Rehearsals with him feel short, to be honest, because so much gets accomplished. Playing with Mr. Mandarano has been the closest I’ve felt to the security I have when I play with my mom.” Not to worry—Irina is still his “favorite orchestra” to play with.
Despite his success, Vladimir approaches competitions with a grounded mindset. “I try not to be that competition-oriented because I feel that takes away from the actual learning process,” he explains. He compares the adrenaline of performance to a roller coaster and values feedback more than the results. “I don’t think it’s fully up to me or my playing. I’ve lost so many competitions at this point." He says that one win outweighs a hundred losses, but the journey of improvement matters most.
After graduating, Vladimir will pursue violin studies at the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University, where he received the prestigious Woodruff Award. “My future teacher, Sergiu Schwartz, knows exactly what he wants to work on with me—how I can reach new heights,” Vladimir says. After first meeting Schwartz at the Bowdoin International Music Festival and later visiting Columbus State, he was impressed by Schwartz's teaching style and the campus community. “It feels like a supportive environment to study music—not unlike MYS. I feel like I can get so much work accomplished there.”
Looking ahead, Vladimir is open to the possibilities. He dreams of having a career as a soloist, and also has a deep love for chamber music. “There’s such a variety of riches in terms of repertoire. If I could play even a very small sliver of that, I would be very happy.”
