Yuri Gandelsman was born in Russia in 1951, and studied in Moscow with Prof. Talalian, violist of the Komitas Quartet and with Prof. Berlinsky, cellist of the renowned Borodin Quartet. In 1974, while still a student, he assumed a position with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra under Kyril Kondrashin. In 1980 he won the National Viola Competition and subsequently joined the Moscow Virtuosi as soloist and principal violist. He appeared as a soloist with all the major orchestras in the former USSR and in concerts with renowned ensembles and artists such as Sviatoslav Richter, Yefim Bronfman, Ralf Gothoni, Yuri Bashmet, Evgeny Kissin, Gil Shaham, Midori, Shlomo Mintz, Natalia Gutman, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Arnold Steinhart, Janos Starker, Patrick Gallois, Leonidas Kavakos, Michel Lethiec, Harry Hoffman, Alexander Brussilovsky, the Borodin Quartet, the Shostakovich Quartet, the Talich Quartet, the Fine Arts Quartet, the Huberman Quartet, the Peterson Quartet and many others. He also made several discs, including "Modern Portrait" with Spivakov and Kissin (RCA); Concertos for Viola and Orchestra by Handel, Stamitz and Britten's "Lachrymae" with the Moscow Virtuosi (Melodia); Telemann Trio Sonatas and Viola Concerto with the Moscow Virtuosi (Melodia) and recorded works by Richard Strauss as principal violist for Sony Classical. He also made a recording for Suddeutsch Rundfunk and Radio France and a CD and video recording of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with the Amati Chamber Orchestra for Dutch television.

Yuri has appeared as soloist with orchestras in Germany and Holland. In Israel he appeared as soloist with all the major orchestras under conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Richard Hickox, Mendi Rodan, Uri Segal, Uri Mayer, Daniel Oren and many others. He also appeared with his son Jonathan in Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with the Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra and with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra in a Christmas concert in Florence, Italy.

He performed Berlioz's "Harold in Italy" with the IPO in Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg under Zubin Mehta and Schnittke's Viola Concerto with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Shallon. He appeared as soloist with the IPO in Hindemith's "Der Schwandendreher" under Claus Peter Flor as well as in Strauss' "Don Quixote" under Zubin Mehta in Israel and on a USA tour. Last season he performed Walton's Viola Concerto with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Schnittke's Viola Concerto with the IPO under Junichi Hirokami. In addition, he performed Bach's Brandenburg Concerto with Yuri Bashmet and the IPO.

Yuri has participated in numerous festivals and is an active chamber musician and recitalist. His concerts include a solo tour of Germany, a recital at the Louvre in Paris, at the Musee d'Orsey, a tour of Japan and many more.

Yuri Gandelsman is a guest professor at the Academia Santa Cecilia Portogruaro, Associazione Culturale "Luigi Boccherini" in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, the Pablo Casals Festival, the Prades Festival, Chateau de Champs master classes in France, the Kuhmo Festival in Finland, the Sorak Festival in South Korea and the Savonlinna Festival in Finland.

Yuri has participated in conducting master classes with Prof. Y. Simonov in Brussels and in Mishkolz, Hungary, where he conducted the Mishkolz Symphony Orchestra. At the same time he also conducted concerts with orchestras in Finland, Israel, Brazil and Russia.

After ten years serving as Principal Violist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, he has decided to leave the orchestra in order to pursue a career as soloist, teacher, chamber musician and conductor.

Future engagements include a recording of all the Mozart Quintets with two violas with the Fine Arts Quartet (2000-2001 season). Yuri is planning to conduct many Israeli orchestras in various programmes and will participate in a Music Festival in Chile as soloist, chamber musician and conductor.

In July 2001 Yuri Gandelsman joined the Fine Arts Quartet - University of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.