Mikhail Voskresensky

Renowned Russian pianist Mikhail Voskresensky has for more than 60 years continued an intensive concert schedule around the world. The top prize winner of many international piano competitions, including the first Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Voskresensky has captivated audiences with his electrifying interpretations of the great piano literature of all styles.

Born in the city of Berdyansk, Ukraine, Voskresensky graduated from the Moscow Conservatory. His teachers were Lev Oborin (first prize winner of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw) and Leonid Roizman (for the organ). Voskresensky’s career began with Chopin’s Second Piano Concerto in Warsaw with the Bolshoi Theatre orchestra, conducted by Yevgeny Svetlanov. In 1957, he played the European premiere of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto at the Prague Spring Festival in the presence of the composer himself, who highly esteemed his performance. 

Voskresensky’s YouTube channel, “Mikhail Voskresensky – pianist,” includes more than 100 recordings: most recently, these include all 27 of Mozart’s piano concertos, all 5 piano concertos of Beethoven plus the Choral Fantasy.

Voskresensky is the distinguished professor of Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and chair of its piano faculty, and since 1992 has taught at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo. His pupils have won more than 120 international prizes, including 61 gold medals. He has judged many international competitions, including the Tchaikovsky and Skryabin (as chairman of the jury) competitions.

In June 2022, Voskresensky left Russia with his family as a protest against the war in Ukraine and in August immigrated to the United States.