DMITRY RATUSH

Dmitry Ratush is Principal Viola of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019, an internationally active soloist and chamber musician.

He made his debut in New York City at Merkin Concert Hall in 1991 and has appeared as a soloist at the Musikverein Vienna, Luxembourg Philharmonic Hall, Prague Dvořák Hall, and many other distinguished venues.

Born in St. Petersburg in 1973, Dmitry immigrated to Israel with his family in 1990 and studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance with the renowned viola virtuoso Michael Kugel. After graduating in 1994, he continued his studies at Southern Methodist University (SMU), Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, Texas.

Dmitry served as Principal Viola of the Bern Symphony Orchestra (Switzerland) and appeared regularly as Guest Principal Viola with the iPalpiti International Chamber Orchestra and the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (Palau de les Arts, Spain) under Maestro Zubin Mehta.

As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with internationally acclaimed artists including Pinchas Zukerman, Tabea Zimmermann, Rudolf Buchbinder, Nikolaj Znaider, Lynn Harrell, Gil Shaham, Julian Rachlin and David Garrett.

Dmitry is a member of the Toscanini String Quartet, performing extensively in Israel and abroad at festivals including Spoleto (Italy), Verbier (Switzerland) and Schloss Elmau (Germany). Alongside traditional concert performances, the quartet explores innovative collaborations with dancers, jazz musicians, DJs, choirs and artists from other disciplines.

Alongside his performing career, Dmitry develops ArtushMusic — a personal creative project that brings together music, original visual art and handcrafted design, reflecting another dimension of his artistic expression.