Valentin Kovalev

Valentin Kovalev is a passionate and dedicated classical saxophonist who is seeking to elevate the voice of saxophone in classical music. Named the winner of the most prestigious  international saxophone competitions, Valentin is also the recipient of significant awards from foundations in France (Fondation pour la vocation), Russia (the Rostropovich Foundation), and the United States (Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia). His international career spans performances as a soloist across the U.S., Russia, France, Andorra, and Asia.

Valentin was recently named a winner of the 2024 CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Competition and, in addition, received the coveted Audience Award. As the recent winner of the esteemed Naumburg Foundation 2022 Saxophone Competition, during the 2023-2024 season Valentin gave a sold-out debut recital at Carnegie Hall premiering the newly commissioned piece by GRAMMY Award-winning composer Steven Mackey.

One of Valentin’s most significant achievements has been cultivating an engaged community of music lovers across his social media platforms. Valentin’s Instagram account (@valentinkmusic) has reached 65,000 followers, while his YouTube channel (V&A TV) has 42,000 subscribers.