Katia Skanavi — Piano

Greek-Russian pianist Katia Skanavi brings together the richness of her cultural roots and the traditions of Central European music in performances that combine spontaneity, intuition, and erudition. A Greek citizen born in the former Soviet Union, she is based in Moscow and Berlin and is equally in demand as a soloist, chamber musician, and creative collaborator.

Ms. Skanavi has performed worldwide with conductors including James Conlon, Kurt Masur, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and Jaap van Zweden. She has appeared with many of Russia’s leading orchestras and internationally with the DSO Berlin, Salzburg Camerata, Kremerata Baltica, Orchestre National de France, Cincinnati Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and the Tokyo Symphony. Her recital appearances include major halls in Amsterdam, London, Madrid, Vienna, and New York, and she has partnered with artists such as Gidon Kremer, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yuri Bashmet.

Her wide-ranging repertoire spans from the Baroque to the present day, with close collaborations with contemporary composers including Arvo Pärt, Alfred Schnittke, Jörg Widmann, Carl Vine, and John Corigliano. Her discography includes an acclaimed all-Chopin recital on the Pro Piano label, selected as Gramophone’s Record of the Month, and a concerto recording of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Brussels Philharmonic. Many of her live recitals have been released by Lyrinx to critical praise.

Ms. Skanavi is also active in cross-genre projects that merge theatre, poetry, music, video, and dance. Her recent production with actress Chulpan Khamatova and dancer Vladimir Varnava is part of the repertoire at Moscow’s legendary Sovremennik Theatre.

She made her debut at age 12 in the Grand Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, performing Kabalevsky’s Third Piano Concerto under the composer’s direction. At 18, she was a prizewinner in the Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris, with further honors at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Maria Callas Grand Prix in Athens.

Her studies took her from Moscow’s Gnessin School for Gifted Children to the Paris Conservatoire (with Bruno Rigutto), the Cleveland Institute of Music (with Sergey Babayan), and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she earned a doctorate under Vladimir Krainev and Vera Gornostaeva. Her dissertation, The Influence of Alfred Cortot on French Piano Tradition, reflects her deep interest in pedagogy, and she now teaches piano and chamber music at the Moscow Conservatory as well as at international masterclasses.