Mikhail Voskresensky Residency

Brief performance by Mikhail Voskresensky and interview led by Dr. Liza Stepanova (HHSOM) and Dr. Alexandra Shapiro (Russian Flagship Program).

ABOUT THE ARTIST

A major presence on international concert stages for over 60 years, Russian pianist Mikhail Voskresensky has captivated audiences with electrifying interpretations of a broad range of piano repertoire from all historical periods. Born in the city of Berdyansk (Ukraine), Voskresensky graduated from the Moscow Conservatory where his teachers included such legendary figures as Lev Oborin (First Prize winner of the first Chopin Competition in Warsaw), Ilia Klyachko, Jacob Milstein, Boris Zemliansky, and Leonid Roizman (organ).  A top prize winner of many major competitions, including the very first Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth, Voskresensky’s international concert career began with a performance of Chopin’s 2nd Piano Concerto in Warsaw with the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra under the baton of Evgeny Svetlanov.  In 1957, he played the European premiere of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto at the Prague Spring Festival in the presence of the composer himself who highly praised his performance. A YouTube channel, “Mikhail Voskresensky - pianist,” archives more than 100 video and audio recordings of his performances. The latest live recordings include all 27 piano concertos of Mozart, all five Beethoven’s concertos and the Choral Fantasy, and many solo recitals.

Voskresensky has been a distinguished professor and chair of the piano department at the Moscow Conservatory for many years.  Since 1992, he is also a guest professor at the Toho Gakuen School in Tokyo, Japan. His students have won more than 120 international prizes,  including 61 gold medals. He has adjudicated in many international competitions including the Tchaikovsky and Scriabin (chairman of the jury) competitions in Moscow.  In 1989, Voskresensky was named People’s Artist of Russia, the highest artistic title in Russia. Other distinctions include the Japanese Order “The Rising Sun,” the Russian Imperial House Medal of Saint Anne, the Nicolai Rubinstein Gold Medal of the Moscow Conservatory, and more.

In June of 2022, Voskresensky left Russia with his family as a protest against the war in Ukraine. In August of the same year, he immigrated to the US.