Piano
“Itin’s is a rare and exciting artistry indeed … Poised, pure, and ravishing in its range of colour, Itin’s playing is a prime example of a superb technique put at the service of an inquiring and imaginative mind.” Daily Telegraph, London
Since capturing the Gold Medal, BBC Audience Award, and Contemporary Music Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1996, Ilya Itin has performed throughout the world to rave reviews and sold-out houses. His unique artistry has long inspired the admiration of renowned colleagues in the music world.
Ilya’s repertoire and artistry are wide-ranging, garnering abundant praise from music critics. He is equally at home playing music from Bach to Cage. “I’d go to hear him play the phonebook,” remarked BBC TV’s Ian Burnside. International Piano Magazine heralded Ilya’s playing as “borderline unbelievable in its combined power and accuracy, which is achieved with the minimum amount of effort,”; [It is] “remarkable, which all readers should experience at least once.”
Ilya Itin has collaborated with many of the world’s great conductors including Sir Simon Rattle, Neemi Jarvi, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Yakov Kreizberg, Vassily Sinaisky, Valery Polyansky, Mikhail Pletnev, and William Noll. Ilya has been a much-lauded soloist with orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Tokyo Symphony, the National Symphony, and the London Philharmonic.
Ilya’s 2010 concert season has been highlighted by sold-out recitals in China, Japan, and the USA. He opened the 2010 Masters Series of the Miami International Piano Festival with two historic solo recitals featuring an all-Prokofiev program in the afternoon and the 24 Preludes of Rachmaninov the same evening. A live recording of these performances is scheduled to be released on the VAI label in the winter of 2011.
Recently, Ilya opened the 2010-2011 concert season of the Rochester Philharmonic with an acclaimed performance of Liszt’s First Piano Concerto. His touring schedule has also included debuts with the China National Symphony playing Rachmaninov’s 3rd Piano Concerto, Prokofiev’s 2nd Piano Concerto with the Bilkent Symphony of Ankara, Brahms’ 2nd Piano Concerto with the Symphony Orchestra of India, and Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto with the Mexico City Philharmonic.
Ilya Itin’s growing discography highlights his exceptional pianism, delighting listeners with recordings that include Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto with the Jerusalem Camerata on the JDR label, and Prokofiev’s Sixth Sonata and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” on VAI. His commitment to the performance of little-known and well-known chamber music has produced numerous recordings such as the newly-released DVD of Beethoven’s “Spring” Sonata, Brahms Viola Sonata, Martinu Double violin Sonata, and Piazzola “Spring/Autumn in Buenos Aires” with Igor and Vesna Gruppman. Also available on DVD is Ilya’s full recital with renowned violinist Ida Haendel at the Miami International Piano Festival.
Born in Yekaterinburg, Russia, Ilya’s early piano study was guided by Natalia Litvinova at the Sverdlovsk School for the Gifted. He went on to work with legendary teacher Lev Naumov at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating with Highest Honors in 1990. Ilya won his first major piano competition while at the Conservatory, taking second place in the 1990 Russian National Rachmaninov Competition. He won top honors in the William Kapell Competition the same year. In 1991, Ilya took First Prize and the Special Chopin Prize at the Casadesus Competition (The Cleveland International Piano Competition), and was awarded Best Performance of a Work of Mozart, Best Prokofiev Performance, and Third Prize at the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition.
Ilya Itin resides in New York City. He is on the teaching faculties of the Graduate Program at CUNY and the Golandsky Institute at Princeton. He is a frequent guest teacher in the piano department at The Juilliard School and Peabody Conservatory. Ilya Itin is a grateful recipient of support from the Patrons of Exceptional Artists.