San Francisco  Academy Orchestra

Leonid Plashinov-Johnson is a member of the viola section in the San Francisco Symphony and was previously a member of the St Louis Symphony Orchestra. He is a laureate of multiple competitions, most recently the Primrose International Viola Competition and the New England Conservatory Concerto Competition. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the NEC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sofia Chamber Orchestra and the AIMS Festival Orchestra. Previous engagements have included tours across Europe and Asia, as well as concerts with Jacob Collier, the Parker and Verona quartets, and the Covent Garden Soloists Ensemble. As a chamber musician, he has participated in the Yellow Barn and Ravinia Festivals in the United States, and the AIMS Festival in Spain.

 

Mr. Plashinov-Johnson graduated from the New England Conservatory in 2019, studying with Kim Kashkashian and serving as her teaching assistant. Russian born, he began playing the violin at the age of three. After moving to the United Kingdom, he was awarded a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School, where he studied the violin under Lutsia Ibragimova. After switching full time to the viola, he studied with the principal violist of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Andriy Viytovych until moving to the United States.