KATIA SKANAVI – GREECE/RUSSIA
Pianist Katia Skanavi’s combination of Greek-Russian cultural roots and Central European musical traditions results in music-making with a unique blend of spontaneity, intuition, and erudition.
Equally active as a soloist and chamber musician, Katia has appeared worldwide with conductors James Conlon, Kurt Masur, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and Jaap van Zweden, among others, in collaborations with the DSO Berlin, Salzburg Camerata, Kremerata Baltica, Orchestre National de France, and major orchestras of Russia, as well as with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and Tokyo. She has presented recitals in major venues across Europe, Asia, and North America, and partnered with violinists Gidon Kremer, Leonidas Kavakos, Maxim Vengerov, and Yuri Bashmet; cellist Truls Mørk; and the Rossetti String Quartet, in concert and recordings.
Katia’s wide range of interests is reflected in various projects: her development of theater works combining poetry, video projections, and dance with music has been presented in major theaters in Moscow, and she collaborates regularly with living composers, including Arvo Pärt, Alfred Schnittke, Jörg Widmann, Carl Vine, and John Corigliano. Her discography includes several live recitals released on Lyrinx label, as well as an all-Chopin recording, which was selected by Gramophone magazine as its record of the month.
Katia Skanavi began her musical studies in Moscow at the Gnessin School for Gifted Children, and at the age of 12 made her debut in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, performing Kabalevskyʼs Third Piano Concerto under the composerʼs direction. She has diplomas from the Conservatoire National de Paris, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, counting among her teachers Bruno Rigutto, Sergey Babayan, Vladimir Krainev, and Vera Gornostaev. She was provided early career support through her prizes at the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud (Paris), Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (Fort Worth), and the Grand Prix Maria Callas (Athens) Competitions.