Ilya Schwartz was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He studied clarinet at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. Ilya continued his studies at the Rubin Academy of Music and Dance in Israel under Ilan Schul. While finishing his studies at the academy, Ilya performed as a member of several chamber ensembles and won a number of musical competitions. He now lives in Israel and is the principal clarinetist for the Raanana Symphony Orchestra.