Birth

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March 25, 1973 in Kiev, Ukraine

Genre

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Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

Valentina Lisitsa is a Ukrainian-American classical pianist who has gained worldwide recognition for her virtuosic performances and innovative approach to music. Born on March 25, 1973, in Kiev, Ukraine, Lisitsa began playing the piano at the age of three and showed exceptional talent from an early age. Her parents, both engineers, recognized her musical abilities and encouraged her to pursue a career in music. Lisitsa studied at the Lysenko Music School in Kiev and later at the Kiev Conservatory, where she received her master's degree in piano performance. She also studied with renowned pianists such as Leonid Margarius and Sergei Dorensky. During her studies, Lisitsa won several international piano competitions, including the Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition in Miami and the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition in Utrecht. In 1991, Lisitsa and her husband, fellow pianist Alexei Kuznetsoff, moved to the United States to further their careers. They settled in North Carolina, where they began performing together as a piano duo. Lisitsa also began teaching at the Academy of Music in Greensboro, North Carolina. Lisitsa's career took off in the early 2000s, thanks in part to her innovative use of social media. She began uploading videos of her performances to YouTube, which quickly gained a following. Her videos of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 went viral, garnering millions of views and bringing her to the attention of classical music fans around the world. Lisitsa's popularity on YouTube led to invitations to perform at major concert halls around the world. She has performed with some of the world's leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. She has also performed at major music festivals, including the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh International Festival, and the Ravinia Festival. Lisitsa's repertoire is wide-ranging, encompassing works by classical composers such as Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff, as well as contemporary composers such as Philip Glass and Michael Nyman. She is particularly known for her interpretations of the music of Rachmaninoff, whose works she has recorded extensively. In addition to her performing career, Lisitsa is also a prolific recording artist. She has released numerous albums, including recordings of Rachmaninoff's complete piano concertos and solo piano works, as well as works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt. Her recordings have received critical acclaim and have won several awards, including the Diapason d'Or and the International Classical Music Award. Lisitsa's innovative approach to music has earned her a devoted following among classical music fans. She has been praised for her technical virtuosity, her expressive playing, and her ability to connect with audiences. She has also been recognized for her efforts to make classical music more accessible to a wider audience, through her use of social media and her willingness to experiment with new forms of performance. Despite her success, Lisitsa has faced controversy in recent years. In 2015, she was scheduled to perform with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, but the orchestra cancelled her appearance after she made controversial comments on social media about the conflict in Ukraine.

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