Leonidas Kavakos

Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos (b. 1967) is one of today's most sought-after violinists. Born into a musical family, Kavakos began studying the violin at the age of five and continued his studies with Stelios Kafantaris at the Greek Conservatory, where he obtained his violin diploma at the age of 16. After further studies, including masterclasses with Joseph Gingold, Kavakos won the International Sibelius Competition in Helsinki in 1985 and the silver medal at the Indianapolis International Violin Competition in 1986, before going on in 1988 to take first prizes at both the Naumburg Foundation Competition in New York and the Paganini Competition in Genoa ­ all before he was 21.