The internationally lauded Riga-born violinist Josef Rissin studied with Boris Belenky at the Moscow Conservatory and won prizes at major international violin competitions such as the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels and the International Violin Competition Premio Paganini in Genoa. He has performed in many concerts, and made recordings on radio, television, and CDs, apart from participating in renowned music festivals to enthused critical response, proof of his unique artistic ranking.
In his book Great Violinists of our Time, Joachim W. Hartnack describes Josef Rissin as an interpreter whose qualities place him in the top rank among major violinists, particularly praising him for technical perfection and profound artistry. Josef Rissin has earned renown for interpreting the classical violin repertoire as well as the overlooked modernist Galina Ustvolskaya, a student of Shostakovich. As professor, Josef Rissin conducts a violin class at the University of Music Karlsruhe. His students include celebrated violinists such as Sergey Khachatryan (first prize as the Queen Elisabeth Competition of 2005), Laurent Albrecht Breuninger, Koh Gabriel Kameda, Linus Roth, Maria-Elisabeth Lott, Ilian Garnet, and Daniel Lozakovich.