Evgeny Kissin

Moscow-born pianist Evgeny Kissin played the piano by ear and improvised at age two. At six, he was admitted to the Gnessin Academy of Music with Anna Pavlovna Kantor, who was to remain his only teacher. He gained international recognition in 1984 when, at the age of 12, he performed Chopin’s two piano concertos in the Great Hall of the Conservatory with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dmitri Kitaenko. Recipient of more than 30 of the most prestigious prizes, awards and honorary titles, he also distinguishes himself as a composer, writer and poet with, among other things, a collection of poems, short stories and translations entitled A Yiddisher Sheygets released in 2019.