Oleh Krysa is a Soviet and American violinist and music educator of Ukrainian origin. He was born on June 1, 1942, in Uchanie, Hrubieszów County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. In 1945 his family moved to Lviv. Although there were no professional musicians in the family, his mother often sang; his father initially wanted him to study piano, while his mother insisted that he learn the violin.
Krysa began violin lessons at the age of six with Konstantin Mikhailov at the Solomiya Krushelnytska specialized music school in Lviv, where he studied for eleven years. After graduating in 1960, he entered the Moscow State Conservatory, studying with David Oistrakh. Upon completing the conservatory course, he became a soloist with the Kyiv Philharmonic. From 1977 to 1987 he was first violinist and leader of the Beethoven Quartet.
His teaching career included heading the violin department at the Kyiv State Conservatory, followed by professorships at the Gnesin Institute and the Moscow State Conservatory. Since 1989 he has been a professor at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. As a soloist, he has appeared internationally with leading orchestras and conductors, including at the Moscow Stars, Prague Spring, Warsaw Autumn, Vienna Music Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Stuttgart Bach Academy Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, and festivals in Winnipesaukee, Park City, Townsville, Perth, and Wellington. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1971 and appeared at the Kennedy Center in 1990.
A committed advocate of contemporary music, Krysa gave first performances of works by Alfred Schnittke, Valentin Silvestrov, Myroslav Skoryk, Virko Baley, and Vyacheslav Artyomov. His prizes include second prize at the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in 1962, first prize at the Paganini Violin Competition in Genoa in 1963, third prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1966, and shared second prize with Gidon Kremer at the Montreal International Competition for Performers in 1966. He was named Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR in 1970. His discography comprises about forty recordings for labels including Melodiya, BIS Records, Triton, Lydian, PolyGram Polska, Troppe Note/Cambria, and Russian Disk.