Ilya Shpilberg was a Soviet violinist and an Honored Artist of the RSFSR. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory with B. O. Sibor and L. M. Tseitlin, then pursued postgraduate studies with M. B. Polyakin. In 1937, he became a laureate of the All-Union Competition for Violinists and Cellists.
After moving from Moscow to Leningrad, Shpilberg served from 1934 to 1968 as first concertmaster of the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmonic, led by Yevgeny Mravinsky. He also directed the Leningrad Ensemble of Violinists. Musicologist Y. Y. Vainkop described him as a fine, technically accomplished violinist with a powerful sound and a temperament that was both passionate and strong-willed.
According to S. M. Volkov, Shpilberg played the violin only at work and left it at the philharmonic. Rehearsals with Mravinsky, Volkov recalled, were enough to keep him in good form. Shpilberg died in Saint Petersburg on March 8, 2000.