A versatile musician and educator, Ekaterina Skliar is renowned for her mastery of the mandolin and domra and her commitment to elevating these instruments on today's classical music landscape. Her vast repertoire includes transcriptions of classical music, original works for domra and mandolin, contemporary, and jazz music. A Winner of the Astral Artists’ 2019 National Auditions, Ekaterina also received Silver Medals from the Global Music Awards in 2019 and 2020 for her domra and mandolin recordings. Her other achievements include top prizes at international and national competitions, including 2018 Kaleidoscope Instrumental and Vocal Competition, where she was chosen from more than 2,000 international applicants to perform with the conductorless, collective Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles.

 

An avid chamber musician and arranger, Ekaterina explores new and unusual collaborations. She has performed chamber recitals with flute, cello, and voice, as well as guitar, piano, and harpsichord, bringing works by Russian, Ukrainian, and European composers to American audiences. She is a founding member of the Atlantic Mandolin Quartet, an ensemble dedicated to advancing the art of classical mandolin chamber music. The quartet has received high acclaim for its adventurous programming, refined ensemble playing, and commitment to performing new works by leading composers.

 

Beyond her performances, Ekaterina is a passionate educator, sharing her expertise at prestigious educational courses and events and promoting classical performance on plucked instruments. In 2023, she was invited to join the faculty of the University of Rhode Island Guitar and Mandolin Festival, where she collaborated with mandolinists Jacob Reuven and Dor Amran to develop an innovative mandolin course focused on classical performance techniques the first of its kind in the United States - which quickly garnered international acclaim.

 

Ekaterina began her music education in her home city of Abakan, Republic of Khakassia, Russia, with Vera Lashkina, a Merited Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation and a highly acclaimed domra teacher. At the age of 11, she debuted with the Russian Folk Instrument Orchestra of the Buryatia Republic (Russia). At 15, she moved to study at the Novosibirsk Specialized Music School, one of Russia’s two most prestigious schools for music protégés. She earned a Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Music Performance from the M. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory under the tutelage of Professor Andrey Kugaevsky.