At just 44 years of age, Maxim Vengerov is recognised as one of the world’s most exciting violinists and recently he started a promising conducting career, as well. In May 2000 Vengerov signed an exclusive recording contract with EMI Classics, with whom he made his debut in April 2000. In 1996 he received two Grammy nominations for Classical album of the Year and Best Instrumental Solist with Orchestra. Vengerov received the Edison Award in 1997 in the Best Concerto Recording category, for his Shostakovich and Prokofiev concertos N° 2 recording. In 1997, at the age of twenty-three, Vengerov was appointed Envoy for Music by the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the first classical musician to be appointed in this role. He says: “I understood what miracles you can bring back to children with music; this is a universal language that everyone understands, it goes from heart to heart”. Another passion of Vengerov’s musical and personal life is his involvement with young people through giving Masterclasses to aspiring musicians. One such event was recorded by Channel Four Television in the UK as part of a documentary about Vengerov, called ‘Playing by Heart’ shown at the Cannes Television Festival in 1999. Maxim Vengerov performs regularly with all the major orchestras and the most eminent conductors. He is a professor of violin at the University of Music Saarland, Germany and was appointed visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London during 2005. Mr Vengerov wishes to express his gratitude to Mrs Yoko Nagac Ceschina for all her continued support, advice and great help, which made possible the purchase of his unique ‘Ex-Kreutzer’ Stradivarius violin.