Charleston & Beethoven

Yuriy Bekker is a critically acclaimed conductor, violinist, and passionate community ambassador. He has led the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as Artistic Director since 2021, while concurrently serving as Concertmaster since 2007 and Principal Pops Conductor since 2016. Bekker previously served as the orchestra’s Acting Artistic Director from 2010 to 2014 and has long demonstrated vision and dedication to the CSO. In 2011, he received the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award from the City of Charleston in recognition of his cultural contributions to the community.

Bekker is currently Distinguished Professor of Practice at the College of Charleston School of the Arts (CofC), serving as Director of the College of Charleston Orchestra, where he has engaged internationally renowned soloists such as Augustin Hadelich and Sarah Chang, leading to sold-out performances. In 2023, Bekker led the CofC Orchestra on its first tour, culminating in a Kennedy Center debut. He previously served as Music Director of the Piccolo Spoleto Festival’s Spotlight Chamber Music Series and is co-founder of the Charleston Chamber Music Intensive, a summer program for high school and college-aged musicians. During the summer, he serves on the faculty of the Nelli Shkolnikova Academy in the Loire Valley, France. He has also served on the faculty of the Gingold Chamber Music Festival in Miami, Florida.

In 2025, a multi-year initiative reached its peak when the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Charleston Youth Symphony, and College of Charleston Orchestra shared the stage at Carnegie Hall in a gala celebrating Charleston’s vibrant cultural community — and marking Maestro Bekker’s Carnegie conducting debut. His vision, fundraising, and tireless advocacy made this extraordinary evening possible.

Yuriy Bekker has performed internationally as a guest concertmaster, chamber musician, conductor, and soloist. He has served as concertmaster of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the AIMS Festival in Graz, Austria, and has held positions with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and Houston Ballet. In addition to performing over a dozen violin concerti with the CSO, he has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Vancouver Symphony, Ulster Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Kansas City Symphony. His festival and venue appearances include the European Music Festival (Stuttgart), Pacific Music Festival (Japan), Spoleto Festival USA, Aspen Music Festival, The Kennedy Center, Chicago Chamber Music Society, and many others across the U.S. and abroad.

From the podium and in chamber settings, he has collaborated with artists including Itzhak Perlman, Augustin Hadelich, Gil Shaham, Sarah Chang, Joshua Roman, Alexander Kerr, Andres Cardenes, Robert DeMaine, Zuill Bailey and Ilya Kaler. As Principal Pops Conductor of the CSO, he has led performances with celebrated entertainers such as Ben Folds, Tony DeSare, Ellis Hall, Ranky Tanky, and Cirque de la Symphonie.

Bekker is a passionate champion of contemporary music. He has recorded new works by Edward Hart and Thomas Cabaniss to critical acclaim. His recording of Hart’s Under an Indigo Sky reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Classical Albums chart. His debut CD, Twentieth Century Duos, received international praise and a nomination for the International Classical Music Awards.

Bekker earned a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory as a student of Herbert Greenberg. He also holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied violin with Nelli Shkolnikova and Ilya Kaler. He studied conducting with Christopher Wilkins, David Zinman, Imre Palló, and David Effron.