Alina Ibragimova on life at the Menuhin School

Alina Ibragimova has emerged in recent years as one of the most exciting and acclaimed of today's young violinists. In our pages, she received an Editor's Choice in 2007 for a recording of music by Hartmann, as well as most recently for the third volume in her Beethoven Sonata cycle, in the July issue of Gramophone. In June's Collection feature, meanwhile, Duncan Druce chose her recording as his leading choice among all interpretations of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin. "Technically, there's no question that she's immensely resourceful – in the different ways she plays chords, for instance – and it's all done to find a suitable expression for every detail. The result is compelling and inspiring," he wrote. There's still time to listen to excerpts from both the Bach and Beethoven discs on the Gramophone Player (simply click the button on the right-hand side of this screen – you need to be registered and logged in – then choose the June and July Playlists).

So where was this astonishing talent nutured and developed? The UK Foreign Office chose to include Ibragimova in a series of short films called ‘See Britain through my eyes’, in which individuals from both here and abroad reflect on their experiences of modern Britain, ahead of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ibragimova reflects on her move from Russia to Britain, where she took up a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School, as well as on what Britain's cultural climate means for young musicians. You can watch the film, ahead of its official release, below.