Leonid Surkov was born in Moscow. He began his musical education at the M. I. Tabakov Children’s Music School (class of E.V. Yakovleva). From 2014, he studied at the Gnessin Moscow Specialized Secondary Music School (class of D.V. Oswer). He later moved to Berlin, where he continued his studies at the University of the Arts in the class of Professor Washington Barella. His musical development has been enriched by masterclasses with Heinz Holliger, Ingo Goritzky, and Alexey Ogrintschuk.

Leonid Surkov is a laureate of numerous international competitions. He was awarded First Prize at the ARD International Music Competition (2024) and The Muri Competition, as well as Third Prize at the 13th International Oboe Competition in Tokyo. In 2024, he received the Bruno Frey Prize from the Baden-Württemberg Academy of Music. Since 2021, as a member of the wind quintet JuVentus, he has been a scholarship recipient of Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Berlin.

As a soloist, Leonid has performed with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Kobe, Collegium Musicum Basel, CHAARTS, Musikkollegium Winterthur, and the Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra, including appearances at the Great Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, Stadtcasino Basel, and the Herkulessaal in Munich. In addition to his solo career, he is deeply committed to chamber music and has participated in festivals such as Davos Festival, Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, Swiss Chamber Concerts, Ticino Musica Festival, Neuschwanstein Festival, and crescendo Festival.

Since September 2024, Leonid Surkov has held the position of solo oboist with the Musikkollegium Winterthur (Switzerland) and regularly performs as a guest musician with the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg, and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

Leonid is also actively engaged in teaching, serving as Professor of Oboe at the Basel Academy of Music, and frequently gives masterclasses in Germany, Spain, and Russia.

March 2026