An outstanding violinist, conductor Sergei Stadler died on board a plane flying to Istanbul

The Soviet and Russian virtuoso violinist, conductor, teacher, chief conductor and artistic director of the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, People's Artist of Russia Sergei Stadler has died at the age of 63. This was reported by the press service of the city administration.

"A native of St. Petersburg, from a young age he devoted his life to music, graduated from St. Petersburg‑The St. Petersburg Conservatory. His name has become a symbol of the highest performing skills. The creative biography of Sergei Stadler is marked by world tours in the most famous concert halls, major symphonic projects. He made a huge contribution to the cultural life of St.‑St. Petersburg, Russia and other countries," the message says.

The Governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov expressed his deep condolences to the musician's family, friends and colleagues. He stressed that Russian culture has suffered an irreparable loss.

According to the Fontanka newspaper, Stadler became ill on board the plane, which was flying from From St. Petersburg to Istanbul. The crew decided to make an emergency landing in Romania.

"The plane was landed, the doctors on the ground tried to resuscitate the artist, but they could not save him," the publication says.

Stadler was born on May 20, 1962 in St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) in a musical family. He graduated from the Special Music School at the Leningrad Conservatory. Then he entered the Leningrad Conservatory and graduated from it externally in three and a half years — due to a busy concert and touring schedule. After postgraduate studies at the Moscow Conservatory, Stadler immediately began teaching at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

In 1985, for the 300th anniversary of Bach, he played all the sonatas and partitas in the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig. This was followed by a tour in Japan: Sonatas and partitas by Bach and Paganini's 24 Caprices. In 1986, in Germany, he received the prize for the best critic of the year. During this period he played 130-150 concerts a year.

Since 1995, Stadler has held annual New Year's concerts at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow. Since 1997, cycles of concerts "Music in the halls of the Hermitage" have been organized in the famous museum of St. Petersburg. From 1998 to 2001 he was the Chief Conductor of the theater of the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

The St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra was created on the initiative of Sergei Stadler in 2013. To date, it is one of the best orchestras of the Northern capital, which has played about 500 concerts in Russia and abroad.

Since 2007, the maestro has been teaching at the Moscow Conservatory. From 2008 to 2011 he was rector of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Since 2018, he has been heading the Instrumental Violin Performance educational program at St. Petersburg State University.

He was also the chief conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the Opera and Ballet Theater of the St. Petersburg Conservatory and the Yekaterinburg Opera and Ballet Theater.

Conducted numerous master classes in Russia, USA, Germany, Norway, Poland, Israel, Finland, Spain, France, Italy, Singapore, China, Portugal and other countries.

Sergey Stadler was awarded the Order of Merit in Culture and Art (2024) for his contribution to the development of culture and art, many years of fruitful activity.