Yuri Abramovich Bashmet, born January 24, 1953, in Rostov-on-Don, Soviet Union, is a Russian violist and conductor. He grew up in Lviv and studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Wadim Borisovsky and Fyodor Druzhinin. His international soloist career began after winning first prize at the ARD International Music Competition in 1976. Numerous composers, including Sofia Gubaidulina, Giya Kancheli, and Alfred Schnittke, have written works for him. He serves as conductor of the Moscow Soloists and received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize in 1995 and the title Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation in 2022.