Academy Student Spotlight: Sasha Varchenko
April 16th, 2025
"Music has become a vital part of my thinking and identity. I can’t imagine my life without it, and I’m eager to see how far I can go in my musical journey."
For Academy violinist Sasha Varchenko, studying music was like a family tradition. “Despite my parents being mathematicians, it was expected that every child in my family would learn to play an instrument,” she said. “My mother made it clear that I would be on the path to mastering Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos even before I was born.”
Sasha’s fascination with the violin began at age six, after reading an article about young Beethoven and his many instrumental talents. She felt an immediate connection and saw a few parallels between them. “I ran to my mom and exclaimed, ‘Mom, I’m almost just like Beethoven!’” she recalled. “All I needed was to learn the violin before I turned seven.”
Now a student of Dmitri Berlinsky and in her second year at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, Sasha has more than proven her dedication. “Music has become a vital part of my thinking and identity,” she said. “I can’t imagine my life without it.”
Sasha’s musical achievements span both solo and chamber music, with honors at the national and international level. In 2015, she won first prize in the Jugend Musiziert competition while living in Bonn, Germany She was awarded the Elfrida Helbig Memorial Award at the NCBF Annual Youth Concerts in both 2018 and 2019.
In 2024, Sasha performed the Khachaturian Violin Concerto with orchestra as a semifinalist in the International Young Artist Concerto Competition, and later that year, she secured second place in the Michael Ben & Illene Komisarow Maurer Young Musicians Competition. Her participation in the Academy chamber groups earned her the Grand Award at the Barnett Chamber Music Competition, and in 2025, her quartet won third place and the bronze medal at the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition.
Through it all, the Academy has played a central role. “The most rewarding part of being a member of the Academy community has been the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers,” she said. “At this point, the Academy truly feels like a home and a family.”
She also credits the Academy for connecting her with pianist Milana Pavchinskaya, her longtime accompanist. “She has guided me in uncovering subtle nuances and elevated my skills as a soloist,” Sasha said. “I feel genuinely honored to have had the chance to work with her.”
One of the most meaningful lessons she’s learned came from a mentor: “Ultimately, you are playing for yourself. While it’s a bonus if your music brings goodness to the world, the most important thing is that it brings you joy, opens your soul, and helps you connect to the universe.”
Sasha is currently working on a self-directed program of Russian music by composers like Tchaikovsky and Glazunov—music that connects her to her cultural heritage. She’s also immersed in Efrem Zimbalist’s Concert Fantasy on Themes from "Le Coq d'Or", a piece she says distills Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera into a rich and virtuosic experience for violinists.
When she’s not practicing or performing, Sasha enjoys quiet time in nature. “As strange as this may sound, what I enjoy doing is simply living… walking, gardening, spying on our neighborhood beaver,” she shares. “In this fast-moving world, it’s important to take time and actually exist.”