Irina Tseitlin studied at the Moscow Central Music School for Exceptionally Gifted Children and at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Professor Yuri Yankelevich and Leonid Kogan. After graduation she was invited to join the faculty at the College of Moscow Conservatory. She won top prizes in the Queen Elisabeth Competition, ARD Bayerische Rundfunk International Competition in Munich, and the Montreal International Competition.
In 1980 Irina Tseitlin was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and made her New York debut in at the Alice Tully Hall to high critical acclaim. In 1981 she was invited to join the faculty of the California State University at Los Angeles.
Irina Tseitlin appeared as a soloist with the Montreal Symphony, Munich Radio Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Moscow Soloists (Yuri Bashmet), BBC Symphony, Liege Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, California Chamber Orchestra, and San Diego Symphony, among others. She has performed and toured in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Russia, Hungary, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea.
Irina Tseitlin has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Duchesne, and CAMUS labels. Her CD of Alfred Schnittke music won the Grand Pix at 1992 MIDI in Amsterdam and in 1985 she was awarded the Szymanovski Prize by Polish government for her performances and recordings of Karol Szymanovski's music.
She has collaborated in chamber music ensembles with such performers and conductors as Zubin Mehta, Pinchas Zukerman, Yuri Bashmet, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Rafael Kubelik, Morton Guld, Mindi Rodan, Mikhail Koppelman, Steven Kates, Paul Newbauer, Shirley Treppel, and Toby Saks. She has worked closely with Alfred Schnittke and performed and recorded most of his violin works. Well-known Portuguese composer Antonio Victorino D'Almeida dedicated to her Dialogues for Violin and Piano, premiered by Irina Tseitlin in 2004. His new piece Fantasia for Violin and Piano dedicated to her was premiered at the Maputo International Music Festival last April.
Irina Tseitlin has always been passionately interested in teaching. Since 1990 she has held a professorship at the California Institute of Music in San Diego. Her students won top prizes in international competitions such as Paganini Competition (Genoa), Tchaikovsky (Moscow), Indianapolis, Primrose, Lionel Tertis, and national competitions such as National Debut Competition, Young Artists Concert Guild, Pasadena Instrumental Competition, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, ASTA, MTAC, etc.