Misha Balan-Dorfman, a Russian-Israeli violist born in Moscow, is a graduate of the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), where he studied with Professors Julia Rebekka Brembeck-Adler and Wilfried Strehle. He also trained at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv with Dr. Lilach Levanon, the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne with Alexander Zemtsov, and the Moscow P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Lioudmila Shubina.

His musical foundation was laid at the Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music, from which he graduated with honors.

Misha has participated in masterclasses with world-renowned musicians, including Nobuko Imai, Lawrence Power, Nils Mönkemeyer, and Wolfram Christ. His diverse orchestral experience includes collaborations with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Dresden Philharmonic, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, and the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Since 2021, he has been a member and principal violist of KALA Chamber.

An experienced educator, Misha began teaching at the Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music in 2007. In 2024, he was appointed assistant to Prof. Julia Rebekka Brembeck-Adler at the Berlin University of the Arts, where he continues to inspire the next generation of violists.

In addition to his orchestral and teaching work, Misha is an active chamber musician. His chamber music engagements include appearances at prestigious festivals such as the Zermatt Festival Academy, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Stavanger Chamber Music Festival, Festival Encuentro Santander, the Young Talent Festival Schiermonnikoog, the Young Artist of Rome Chamber Music Festival, Korsholm Festival, Musethica projects, and Ponte Ulm Festival.

Misha’s artistry has been recognized with the Yehoshua and Margrit Lakner Foundation Prize in 2021.

Based in Berlin, Misha Balan-Dorfman continues to perform and teach. His passion for music makes him a sought-after performer and pedagogue on the international stage.