Zurich-based cellist Polina Yarullina is known for her passionate, expressive playing and a clear, distinctive artistic language. Born in Kazan (Russia), she received her musical education at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, shaped by the tradition of the Russian cello school. Alongside her studies in Moscow, she gained further artistic inspiration through work with leading European Cellists and studied with Ivan Monighetti (school of Mstislav Rostropovich) at the Richard Wagner Conservatory in Vienna.
She continued her studies at the Zurich University of the Arts, where she completed a Master’s degree in Performance in 2018 under Raphael Wallfisch (school of Gregor Piatigorsky). In 2022, she completed a second Master’s degree in Music Pedagogy with Thomas Grossenbacher (school of David Geringas), graduating with distinction. During her studies, she also developed a strong interest in historical performance practice on the Baroque cello as well as in contemporary music.
Since 2021, Polina Yarullina has been Deputy Principal Cellist of the Collegium Musicum Basel and regularly appears as a guest cellist at the Zurich Opera House. She has also held engagements with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and the Basel Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her orchestral work, she has appeared as a soloist with orchestra and has extensive experience in chamber music. In addition to her concert activities, she is active as a cello teacher and in masterclass settings.
She performs on a French cello by Gustave Bernardel (Paris, c. 1900) and uses a bow by Albert Nürnberger.