Dmitrij Gornowskij I Cello
With his powerful tone, refined stylistic sensitivity, and exceptional artistic presence, Dmitrij Gornowskij has captivated audiences across four continents for decades. As a soloist, chamber musician, producer, and artistic initiator, he is a multifaceted figure in today’s international classical music scene.
A particular focus of his artistic life lies in chamber music. Since 2005, he has performed internationally as part of the Almati Duo, which he co-founded with pianist Amir Tebenikhin. Together, they have released four critically acclaimed CDs and are currently preparing a new recording of the Beethoven and Brahms cello sonatas, scheduled for release in 2026. The project will lead into the upcoming 2027 Beethoven anniversary year, marking the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death, during which the duo plans to present the complete cycle of Beethoven’s cello sonatas in concert. Gornowskij and Tebenikhin appear regularly across Europe, presenting thoughtfully curated programs featuring Beethoven, Shostakovich, and other masterworks of the cello repertoire.
In autumn 2025, Dmitrij will embark on a concert tour of southern France and Spain as soloist with the Cologne Chamber Philharmonic, performing cello concertos by Boccherini and Vivaldi. A tour of Australia, featuring a baroque-romantic program, is scheduled for early 2026.
During the 2025/26 season, he will also perform regularly with the Frank Trio and Frank Quintet – ensembles comprising musicians from the legendary Stolyarsky School in Odessa. These tours will take him to cities such as Düsseldorf, Erlangen, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Moers, and Gelsenkirchen. Beginning in May 2025, he will also appear with the Darnea Baroque Quartet (soprano, violin, cello, and harpsichord) in a dedicated series of concerts across North Rhine-Westphalia.
In addition to his concert life, Dmitrij Gornowskij is an active producer and sound engineer. He runs a private recording studio housed in a church in Düsseldorf, featuring a concert grand piano, where he records both his own projects and collaborations with other musicians. Among his most recent productions are recordings of works by Kazakh composer Toligen Mukhamejanov. He also developed a close artistic connection with British composer David Lewiston Sharpe, whose work Capriccio he recorded for CD. The technical production of this particular recording was carried out in an external studio in Cologne.
As a soloist, Gornowskij has performed with orchestras including the Dortmund Philharmonic, the Cologne Chamber Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of India (Mumbai), the Filarmónica de Bogotá, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Skopje, under the direction of conductors such as Kurt Karl, Mark Laycock, Alois Springer, and Stanko Šepić. In the realm of chamber music, he has collaborated with artists such as Misha Maisky, Yuri Bashmet, James Galway, Nigel Kennedy, and Giora Feidman, with whom he shares a longstanding artistic friendship.
His repertoire embraces an expansive range of the cello literature — from the timeless works of J. S. Bach to compositions of the present day. Particularly notable are his interpretations of Russian cello sonatas by Myaskovsky and Rachmaninoff, which have received widespread recognition.
Dmitrij Gornowskij is also deeply committed to teaching and mentoring. In the current season, he will lead several masterclasses and is dedicating increasing energy to nurturing emerging talents. Looking ahead, he plans to launch a new festival in Düsseldorf that will combine concert programming with pedagogical work and serve as a platform for creative encounters, innovative formats, and artistic exchange across borders.
He has appeared at major festivals in Seoul, Berlin, Lecce, Bitola, Freiburg, and Eisenach, and has been a core member of the renowned Gershwin Quartet since 2010.
Born in Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) into a family of musicians, Dmitrij received his first cello lessons from his father, Anatolij Gornowskij. His paternal grandparents were born in Grodno, a city with a complex history between Belarus, Poland, and Lithuania. His mother, Lili Eurich, was of German descent and part of the German minority living in Kazakhstan. Dmitrij describes his background as layered — but sees his true identity as grounded in music.
He continued his training with Professor Nurlan Dolbaev and took part in early masterclasses at the Moscow Conservatory, studying with Maria Tchaikovskaya, Igor Gavrysh, and Valentin Feigin. He won First Prize at the National Music Competition in Pavlodar in 1990 and was awarded Second Prize at the International Chalmamedov Competition in Ashgabat in 1995.
Dmitrij lives in Düsseldorf with his wife, Australian violinist Hayley Bullock. He performs on an 18th-century Italian cello, a gift from his father, which has accompanied him faithfully throughout his musical journey.