A Russian-born violinist, Dina Nesterenko established herself early in her career as a winner of natonal and international competitions and as a frequent soloist with orchestras throughout the Russian Federation. After being a semi-finalist and the youngest participant in the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, she was invited to audition for the renowned Curtis Institute of Music. Following her studies there, she was accepted to Juilliard School on a full scholarship for both undergraduate and graduate studies. She was fortunate enough to have been accepted into Robert Mann’s studio, a legend who changed her musical world by inspiring limitless creativity in her. Specifically, he prompted Dina to write her own cadenzas for every concerto that requires them, which has become one of her artistic passions and specialties. During her Juilliard School period, she made numerous solo and chamber music appearances at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall. She was also a Marlboro Chamber Music Festival participant for three consecutive summers, where she had the privilege to perform with the greatest musicians of our time (including Richard Goode, Michael Tree, Charles Neidich, Ignat Solzhenetsyn and Mitsuko Uschida) . Following her Juilliard graduate studies, Dina Nesterenko pursued her doctoral studies at Stony Brook University under the guidance of Philip Setzer of the Emerson String Quartet and Soovin Kim. Currently, Dina lives in Dallas, Texas, and teaches the violin at the University of North Texas as an adjunct professor. She has discovered, over the past several years, a passion for creating virtuosic solo violin arrangements of symphonic, piano, choral, and organ works, as well as improvising in every style ranging from early Baroque to Rock, Blues, and Country. This creativity is deeply imprinted in her interpretations and performances of the standard repertoire.  More