Piano

Russian pianist Mikhail Yanovitsky made his stunning New York debut in the fall of 1991, with a program of Bach, Beethoven, and Scriabin. He has since been praised in the press for his command of the keyboard and his densely woven interpretations, ranging from the passionate fervor he brings to the works of Scriabin, to the exquisite nuance of his "Goldberg Variations." Following his arrival in the United States in 1990, Yanovitsky won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, resulting not only in his New York debut, but in a highly praised Kennedy Center debut in February 1992. In addition, in 1993, as a recipient of the YCA Aaron and Irene Diamond Soloist Prize, Mr. Yanovitsky performed Beethoven s Concerto No. 1 with the New York Chamber Symphony, conducted by Gerard Schwarz at the 92nd Street Y, also to critical acclaim. Born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), Mikhail Yanovitsky began his piano studies with his mother. He studied with Marina Wolf at Leningrad s Special Music School for gifted children, and at the age of eighteen entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied with Eugene Moguilevsky and Mikhail Voskressensky.

While under their auspices, Mr. Yanovitsky was the most frequently re-engaged artist on the YCA roster. He has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, the Reno Chamber Orchestra, the Santa Barbara Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, the Vermont Symphony, the Little Orchestra Society at Lincoln Center s Avery Fisher Hall in New York, the Evanston (IL) Symphony and the Tulsa Pops.

He has played with the Toho Gakuen Orchestra under conductor Leon Fleisher at Casals Hall in Tokyo, and has performed as soloist in Russia with orchestras including the Moscow Philharmonic, the Leningrad Philharmonic, and the Leningrad Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Yanovitsky made a long awaited return to his native St. Petersburg in 1994 to give a recital in Philharmonic Hall, and was invited to travel to St. Petersburg again in 1996. He has also performed the Beethoven Concerto No. 3 with the Pusan Philharmonic in Korea and has appeared in South Africa, performing with the Cape Town Symphony, conducted by Jorge Mester, and giving a major recital in Johannesburg. Mr. Yanovitsky has also traveled to Sweden, Denmark, Mexico and Uruguay to perform. As a prizewinner in the Sydney International Piano Competition, he performed with the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House.

In the U.S., Mr. Yanovitsky has given recitals in 29 of the 50 states Mikhail Yanovitsky has won many awards and prizes, including most recently second prize in the 1999 Canto International Piano Concerto Competition in Italy, which led to a recital in Milano s Salle Verdi. He won first prize just a year previously in the recital competition. In 1996, he was a prizewinner in the Sydney International Piano Competition in Australia. He also won the 1994 ProPiano Competition, and garnered first prize in the 1993 Miriam Klausner Competition at the Hampton Summerfest in New York. He claimed Second Prize in the 1992 Walter W. Naumburg International Piano Competition, the 1991 Bruce Hungerford Memorial Prize, and two coveted Gina Bachauer Piano Scholarships for graduate studies at The Julliard School, where he worked with Seymour Lipkin.

Appearances in the 98/99 season have included a well-received performance of Rachmanioff s Third Concerto with the Transylvanian Symphony in Romania; recitals in Romania and in Philadelphia; and participation in the Scriabin Society s gala concert event in New York. Mr. Yanovitsky s debut CD, including works of Chopin and Scriabin, will be released in 2000 on the Helicon label.


“A virtuosic perpetual motion, Bravo! Bravissimo! …Russian-born Mikhail Yanovitsky is pianist in the big style, a player whose hands seem to devour the keyboard while piling up masses of sound and color…His handling of the Piano Concerto No. 1 (Beethoven), for example, was a remarkably fluid and graceful performance, joyous work, joyously played”.