Viola training in the European tradition

Since returning to Australia in 2005, Yuri has established a busy and successful private teaching practice with students coming for weekly lessons across the South East Queensland region. A short video showcasing Yuri and his work with students and colleagues was made by local film-maker Craig Berkman in 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hJZD5EWP70
Yuri's beginner students are known for their excellence nationally, and in New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Switzerland, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK and the USA. Since 2008, Yuri and his students have received invitations to give presentations at tertiary music institutions (Qld & Sydney Conservatoria, the Australian National University, and the Taiwan National University of the Arts) and for professional associations including the Australian String Teachers Association in Qld, ACT & WA, the Kodaly Music Education Institute of Australia in NSW and Victoria, the International Kodaly Society and the European String Teachers' Association (ESTA). The video presentation made by Dr David Banney and Yuri Djachenko for ESTA's 49th International Conference may be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCmL55MRk7k&t=1s
In 2012, Yuri assisted, taught and presented at the 23rd International Colourstrings Teacher Training Course at the Yehudi Menuhin School in London.
During the past 3 decades, all bar two of Yuri's dozens of violin/viola students who have auditioned for the various Queensland Youth Orchestra groups have gained places. Several of Yuri's violin students have held the Principal viola positions in JSE, QYO3, QYO2 and QYS (QYO1). Some have successfully placed in QYS while still in Primary School. Over the past 3 decades, many of Yuri's Primary School students have applied for entry to Brisbane State High School, and it is to their individual and collective credit that every single one (more than 30) has been awarded a place. Many of Yuri’s violin/viola students are the children of professional musicians, music educators or good amateur musicians.
Yuri has had a long-standing interest in instruments and bows, and he insists on a high standard of set-up of his own and his students’ instruments. All of Yuri’s students play on instruments that are considered by top players and instrument makers to be very well set up, yet inexpensive. A number of Yuri’s more advanced younger students have small-sized hand-crafted violin bows commissioned from specialist bowmakers.
On Yuri’s seventh visit to Finland, he was invited to take up the position as guest violin teacher at the Kuhmo Music Institute where he was also Artistic Director of the XI Prima Nota International Festival for Children’s String Orchestras in 2004-05. Prior to this, he held the position of String Co-ordinator for the former Berkshire Young Musicians Trust in Windsor in the UK. He has been a former staff member at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music - Griffith University, and at the University of Southern Queensland. Yuri has made 11 visits to Finland since 1999 to study and observe Colourstrings in action at the East Helsinki Music Institute. For Finnish publishers Fennica Gehrman, he has edited the Coloursrings Violin Handbook for Parents and Teachers. A short extract of this may be found here:
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=2MtaDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=yuri+djachenko+colourstrings&source=bl&ots=WbbGN5tHao&sig=ACfU3U3ZfEk7CT6n1u7k6k0U_yDWrkjoHg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXpL-d_Mv-AhUUO3AKHUOdBvY4ChDoAXoECAUQAw#v=onepage&q=yuri%20djachenko%20colourstrings&f=false

As Director of Colourstrings Australia, he regularly engages in collaboration with leading Australian Colourstrings teachers including David Banney, Rod & Celia Egerton, Judy Fromyhr and Helen Holt. Yuri is acknowledged by his peers here and overseas as one of the foremost second generation Colourstrings teachers. A number of his former students have continued their studies at tertiary level at the following institutions: Queensland Conservatorium, University of Queensland, University of Southern Queensland, Australian National University, University of Tasmania, Colburn School (Los Angeles), Royal College of Music London, Chichester University (UK), Sorbonne, Barratt Due Institute in Oslo, Stockholm Conservatory, Oulu University and the Sibelius Academy (Finland).
As a professional violinist/violist, Yuri has performed as a member of the Queensland and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras and the former Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra. In the UK, he freelanced widely. In Finland he was Concertmaster of the Lentua Sinfonietta. More recently Yuri has appeared as Principal Viola of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and Concertmaster of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra, and as a violinist/violist in Brisbane’s Camerata. He is one of the longest standing members of the Queensland Pops Orchestra, and performs regularly as a chamber musician through South-East Queensland. Yuri believes very strongly that instrument teachers should maintain professional performing activity.