Kirill Gerstein

Kirill Gerstein’s curiosity and versatility has led to an intense engagement with a wide range of repertoire and styles. From Bach to Adès, his playing is distinguished by its clarity of expression, discerning intelligence and virtuosity. Gerstein’s energetic and imaginative musical personality has taken him rapidly to the top of his profession. Kirill Gerstein appears world-wide in performances ranging from concerts with the Chicago and Boston Symphony Orchestras, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Royal Concertgebouw, Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics, to recitals in London, Paris and New York. He is the sixth recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award. Gerstein’s discography includes Liszt’s Transcendental Études; Tchaikovsky’s 1st Piano Concerto in the composer’s own final version from 1879 which won an ECHO Klassik award; Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition coupled with Schumann’s Carnaval; two discs with Tabea Zimmerman of sonatas for viola & piano; and an album of works by Schumann, Liszt & Knussen. Born in 1979 in Russia, Kirill Gerstein attended one of the country's special music schools and also taught himself to play jazz. At the age of 14, he moved to the US at the invitation of jazz legend Gary Burton, to study jazz piano at the Berklee College of Music. Two years later, he decided to focus on classical music and moved to New York to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with S. Mikowsky. He continued his studies with D. Bashkirov and F. Rados.