Hava Polinsky is a professional violinist in New York. Hava is a freelancer, performer, teacher, and collaborator. She graduated with her Master’s of Music from The Juilliard School in 2023 where she studied with Laurie Smukler and David Chan. Since graduating, Hava has been a regular substitute violinist with the New York Philharmonic, including joining them on their 2024 Asia Tour, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, the Princeton Symphony, and other local ensembles. 

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hava has been playing the violin since she was five years old. Hava studied at the Indiana University Summer String Academy for three summers in Bloomington. From 2015-2019, Hava has studied at the Aspen Music Festival and School. She was a member of the Aspen Chamber Symphony and collaborated with musicians such as Joshua Bell, Orli Shaham, and Emmanuel Pahud, and conductors such as David Robertson, and Nicholas McGegan and was then invited to Aspen as an Aspen Conducting Academy String Fellow during the summer of 2018 where she was assistant concertmaster of the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra. In 2019, Hava returned to Aspen as a Center for Orchestra Leadership Fellow where she was a mentor in the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra and she studied privately with Paul Kantor, and as the winner of the concerto competition, Hava performed as a soloist with the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Hava was the concertmaster of the 2014 and 2015 Missouri All-State Orchestras, and Hava was the co-concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra for three consecutive seasons. She also participated in the Community Music School Preparatory Program under the direction of Vera Parkin. Hava has played for influential musicians including Donald Weilerstein, Vadim Repin and Gilbert Varga. 

Hava was the winner of the St. Louis Got Talent in 2011. She was also a winner of the University City Young Artist Competition in 2012, she won Belleville Philharmonic “Stars of Tomorrow” Young Artist Competition in 2013, and Hava won the Alton Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition in 2014. In March of 2015, Hava played the Mendelssohn Concerto with the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra as the winner of the Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. She was the state-level winner of the MTNA Competition in 2015 and 2016, and received honorable mention at the regional level. In March of 2016, Hava played with the UMSL Orchestra as the winner of their concerto competition. The following May, Hava played with the St. Louis Symphony during their annual Link Up concert. On December 31, 2016, Hava was honored to be the surprise guest soloist with the St. Louis Symphony at their annual New Year’s Eve concert, under the direction of David Robertson. In May of 2017, as the winner of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra’s concerto competition, she performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto with Gemma New. 

During her time at Juilliard, she has worked with musicians such as Alan Gilbert, John Adams and members of the Juilliard String Quartet. Hava has sat Concertmaster of The Juilliard Orchestra under Marin Alsop, John Adams, and David Robertson. In October of 2022, Hava was again Concertmaster of the school’s orchestra under Maestro Robertson, this time at Carnegie Hall. She spent the summer of 2021 in Blue Hill, Maine at Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival and School. With her masters degree, Hava was awarded the Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship.