Russian-born conductor, violinist, and pianist Michelle Bushkova (b. 2004, Moscow) is currently 

pursuing her master’s degree in conducting at the Juilliard School with David Robertson, where she 

is a recipient of the Bruno Walter Memorial Scholarship. Beginning in 2026-2027 season she will 

serve as Music Director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine orchestra. Previously, during the 

2024–2025 academic year, Michelle served as Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland Institute of 

Music Opera Theater and as Undergraduate Assistant Conductor of the Case Western Reserve 

University Symphony Orchestra. She has participated in the International Jorma Panula Masterclass 

in Kecskemét (Hungary) and the Riccardo Muti Italian Opera Academy at the Tokyo Spring Festival 

(Japan), and her mentors have included Carlos Kalmar, Anthony Parnther, and Victor Yampolsky.

As a violin soloist, she has appeared with the “Moscow Virtuosi” and “New Russia” Symphony 

Orchestras, as well as the philharmonic orchestras of Saratov, Yaroslavl, Ankara, and Istanbul, and 

the chamber orchestras of Minsk and Portland. She has performed in international festivals

such as Keshet Eilon (Israel), Musica Mundi (Belgium), NYMF in Gstaad (Switzerland), Moscow 

Autumn, Stay-in-May (Florida), and Siletz Bay (Oregon). Most recently in January of 2026, Michelle 

was featured with the Tel Aviv Soloist Ensemble as conductor, violin, and piano soloist. 

Michelle recently completed her double bachelor’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, 

majoring in both violin and piano performance. She studied violin with Ilya Kaler and Olga 

Dubossarskaya-Kaler, and piano with Antonio Pompa-Bald