Piano
Daria Monastyrski was born in St. Petersburg (Russia). She studied at the prestigious St. Petersburg Conservatory and graduated with the highest distinction. At the age of 20, she moved to Israel where she studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance with Professor Vadim Monastyrski, and at the Israeli Academy of Music in Tel Aviv (now the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music) with Professor Arie Vardi. Daria completed her studies (Konzertexamen) at the Musikhochschule Köln, Germany, with Professor Pavel Gililov.
Mrs. Monastyrski has won many prizes in different international piano competitions: Second Prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Palme de Mallorca, Spain; First Prize at the Jerusalem Academy Competition; Second Prize at the Hong Kong International Competition; Second Prize at the Missouri International Competition, USA; Third Prize at the Chopin International Competition in Darmstadt, Germany; Diploma at the 11 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Salt Lake City, USA and First Prize at the Citta di Sulmona International Competition. She has also performed solo recitals in music festivals around the world: The Valldemossa International Festival, Spain; Duszniki Zdroj International Chopin Festival, Poland; International Festival in Oberursel, Germany and others. Her concert tours included countries like Italy; Spain; the USA; Germany; Hong Kong; Israel; Poland and Russia. Daria has also performed as a soloist with world-wide famous orchestras, such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Darmstadt Chamber Orchestra; Hong Kong Symphony and others.
Alongside her success as a pianist, Daria maintains a prolific career as a piano pedagogue. Mrs. Monastyrski has been a member of the piano faculty at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance since 2009. In addition, she is the Head of the Piano Department at the Kfar Saba Conservatory of Music and Dance.
Mrs. Monastyrski’s students perform at some of the world’s greatest concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, and play as soloists with well-known orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic under the baton of Maestros Zubin Mehta, Joel Levi and others. Many of her students have won national and international piano competitions.
Daria teaches masterclasses at several international music festivals, such as the Summit Music Festival in New York, the Burgos International Music Festival in Spain and others. Daria is also the artistic director of the White Nights International Piano Festival which took place in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 2017-2019. In May 2023 she was invited to teach at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius, as part of the Erasmus program.