Violinist Irina Guskova was born just 100 kilometers outside of the famed Russian city of Novgorod. Her hometown, Staraya Russa (meaning old Russia), is only a stone throw away from the birthplace of the great Russian pianist and composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Raised in a family of Musicians with her mother being a highly reputable and accomplished music educator in the region, Irina quickly took to the violin at a young age of 4 years old. After many years under her mother’s watchful guidance and tutelage, Irina eventually sought out higher education in the City of St-Petersburg and, at the young age of 15 years old, was accepted in the class of famed Russian Virtuoso Violinists, Anatoli Resnikovski.

Irina graduated with honors from the Rimsky Korsakov Academy of Music and after graduation, worked extensively throughout Russia as well as abroad, often participating in Symphonic International tours before she was recruited to join the world renowned Moscow Symphony Orchestra, where she held the position of first violin.

Though her classical roots run very deep, when Irina was asked to perform as a soloist on a luxury liner for an international audience, she quickly developed a completely new repertoire stylistically, including Irish folk and American Country Fiddle music. Irina welcomes this expanded musical phase in her life and looks forward to sharing with audiences her always growing passion and love for all styles of music.