Julia Bushkova: “Violin Runs in the Family”

Many of our Featured Guests pursued careers in music and the arts despite strong opposition from their families/social networks. In other words, when “two roads diverged in a wood,” they “took the one less traveled by.” Julia Bushkova’s example is quite different. Her entire family is made up of some of Russia’s most elite professional violinists: the Shikhmurzaeva/Bushkov/Bushkova family name (sic!) resounds through the halls of Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music, where, as professors and performers, the family has formed and inspired generations of professional violinists. Today, in that very tradition, Julia continues her family’s business at the University of North Texas, where her work focuses on nurturing students to become well-rounded, resilient problem-solvers as well as outstanding violinists. Since meeting a member of the Stradivarius family is out of the question, come meet Julia Bushkova and get to know what it’s like when the violin is a family affair.