Ilya Shmukler says his life changed at 10 years old, after applying for and winning his first music competition and attending the subsequent international summer academy: “There I discovered a true musical life, and I fell in love with it, inspiring me to commit my life to music.” He performed his first recital at the age of 12, and made his orchestral debut at 14. He has since made solo appearances in Europe and North America, and performed with the Mariinsky Theatre, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, Bayer Philharmoniker, Tambov Symphonic Orchestra, and New Music Orchestra, among others. In 2021, he won the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall Debut Audition and made his New York debut at the famous venue on 13 December, 2022. He completed his master’s degree with honours at the Moscow State Conservatory P. I. Tchaikovsky in 2021, under the guidance of E. Kuznetsova and S. Kuznetsov. He currently studies with S. Ioudenitch at the International Center for Music at Park University in Parkville, Missouri.