Jesse Philips Chair
Zulfiya (Zulya) Bashirova began her violin studies at the age of seven at the Uspensky Music School for Gifted Children in her hometown, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She is a prize winner of multiple national and international competitions, including Glazunov International Competition of Violinists, National Society of Arts & Letters, and the Lynn University Concerto Competition. Zulya was previously Assistant Principal Second violin in Toledo Symphony, Principal Second violin in Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Assistant Concertmaster in Des Moines Metro Opera. She also performed with St. Louis Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, and Detroit Opera Theater. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with conductors like Osmo Vänskä, Gerard Schwartz, Stéphane Denève, JoAnn Falletta, Sir Andrew Davis and many others.
As a Nicoló Paganini aficionado, she performed a recital with the full twenty-four caprices for solo violin and 60 Variations on ‘Baracubá’. She holds degrees from State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, Lynn University, and a Specialist of Music certificate at University of Michigan. She is grateful for studying with internationally renowned pedagogues, Elmar Oliveira and David Halen. Zulya currently resides in Fort Wayne with her husband and two beautiful cats. She spends her summer in Chicago as a part of the Grant Park Music Festival orchestra.