About
Igor Pikayzen, Artistic Director
Award-winning Russian-American violinist Igor Pikayzen is confidently establishing himself as one of the most prodigious and in-demand soloists of his generation. Praised on four continents by critics and audiences alike for his “astounding technical ability” and a “majestically lush tone”, Igor Pikayzen “surely is at a forefront of a major musical career” (Moscow Times).
Since his concerto debut at the age of 8, with Mozart's Violin Concerto #2 and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Pikayzen has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras spanning Europe, Asia, North and South America, including the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Radio Symphony, Bucharest Philharmonic, State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Veracruzana, Sinfonica Nacional de Chile, National Philharmonic of Georgia, Filharmonica di Bacau, Izmir Symphony Orchestra, Bialystok Philharmonic, Stamford Symphony, Czestochowa Philharmonic, Sinfonietta Veracruzana, Lima Chamber Orchestra, Tbilisi Opera Orchestra, Antalya State Symphony, Yokohama Sinfonietta and countless others. In the last two seasons alone, he has given debuts and returned to Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City, Tchaikovsky Hall and Minor Hall in Moscow, Teatro Llago in Frutillar, Congreso Nacional in Santiago, President Hall in Ankara, Flagey and Le Bozar in Brussels, Le Bourget in Montreal, Centro Nacional de las Artes in Mexico City and Cadogan Hall in London, to name just a few. Pikayzen's 2017-18 season includes debuts and return engagements under the batons of Gürer Aykal, Łukasz Borowicz, Emil Tabakov, Enrique Batiz, Lior Shambadal, Jerzy Salwarowski, Daniel Huppert, Roman Revueltas, Vakhtang Matchavariani, Christopher Lyndon-Gee and Hobart Earle. A frequent guest at some of the most prestigious chamber music festivals and series in the world, Pikayzen regularly appears at Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Napa Valley Festival in California, Semanas Musicales de Frutillar in Chile, Night Serenades Festival in Georgia, New York's Bargemusic and 92nd Street Y. A dedicated recording artist, Pikayzen's live performances and recordings have been broadcast on WQXR and RTVi (USA) Kultura (Russia) RTBF (Belgium) CBC (Canada) Radio Kultura (Poland) RadioSwiss Classic (Switzerland) Imedi (Georgia) TRT3 (Turkey) Beethoven Radio (Chile)as well as MediciTV and ViolinChannel. His extensive discography demonstrates his incredible versatility as an artist, and includes his debut album, with virtuoso works of Saint-Saëns, Ysaÿe, Paganini, and Wieniawski on the ProArte label, as well as live recordings of the Glazunov and Matchavariani violin concertos, Tchaikovsky's “Souvenir de Florence” with the Russian Virtuosi of Europe for Orchid Classics and “On My Journey now”; a recording of spirituals with the acclaimed baritone Lester Lynch for Pentatone Classics. A champion of new and under-performed composers, Pikayzen's recording of the Henri Marteau clarinet quintet with the Phoenix Ensemble has been met with critical acclaim; 2018 sees the release of the Brahms and Elliot Carter clarinet quintets for Navona/Naxos. Grandson of the legendary Soviet violinist Viktor Pikayzen, Igor was born in Moscow, Russia. After receiving his Bachelor's Degree from Juilliard, as well as a Master's Degree and Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music, he is currently completing his DMA at the CUNY Graduate Center, where he holds the coveted position of Enhanced Chancellor Fellow and is on the violin faculty of Brooklyn Conservatory. Pikayzen is the 1st prize winner of the 2015 Edition of the International Violin Competition Luis Sigall in Viña del Mar, Chile as well as the Wronski International Violin Competition in Warsaw, in addition to being a silver medalist at the Szeryng and Kloster-Schöntal international violin competitions. A native of Moscow, Mr. Pikayzen shares his time between New York and Westport, CT, where he launched an annual summer music festival, Edelio. |