Valentina Lisitsa
Piano
Described by critics as "[a] bona fide angel playing" and an "electrifying pianist", the Ukrainian-born Valentina Lisitsa has been receiving rave reviews since making her Mostly Mozart Fesival debut at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall.  With her multi-faceted playing described as "dazzling", Valentina is at ease in a vast repertoire ranging from Bach and Mozart to Shostakovich and Bernstein.  Her orchestral repertory alone includes more than forty concerti, all of which have been performed.  She admits to having a special affinity for the music of Rachmaninoff and Beethoven and continues to add to her vast repertory each season.  In 2010 she will perform Rachmaninoff's "New 5th" Concerto in her debut with the Rotterdam Symphony.  She is embarking on an ambitious project of recording all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas - often a lifelong task achieved by very few artists.

With her highly individual and fearless approach to every work she performs, she has been greeted by enthusiastic audiences throughout the world.  Her 2008 recital debut in Vienna's Musikverein Golden Hall received multiple standing ovations from the highly discerning Viennese audience.  Valentina Lisitsa's 2008-09 season spanned more than 80 performance world-wide, including a debut with the Chicago Symphony (replacing Hélène Grimaud on Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5), her second appearance with the Festival International de Lanaudière, and a recital tour of California.  

Born in Kiev, Ms. Lisitsa began to study piano at the age of three and performed her first solo recital at four.  After her studies - first in Lysenko School of Music and then in Kiev Conservatory -Valentina moved to the United States and shortly thereafter became a citizen.  She has performed in the world's most prestigious concert venues, and among recent collaborations, have been tours with the National Philharmonic of Russia (under Vladimir Spivakov), Warsaw Philharmonic (under Antoni Wit), Sao Paolo Symphony, New Zealand Symphony, and Prague Chamber Orchestra.

An avid chamber music player, Valentina has performed with Lynn Harrell, Jimmy Lin, Roberto Diaz, and Ida Haendel to name a few.  But her most important musical partnership has been with the superb violinist Hilary Hahn.  They first toured together in 2007 and have planned an extensive tour for 2009 throughout Europe, North and South America, and Japan.

Ms. Lisitsa has recorded 8 CDs on the Audiofon label and 3 independently released DVDs, including her best-selling set of Chopin's 24 Etudes, which long held the coveted #1 spot on Amazon music video list.  A highly anticipated new CD featuring Beethoven, Schumann, Thalberg and Liszt is scheduled for release in 2009.

Valentina Lisitsa is a Bösendorfer artist and often plays the flagship Imperial model.  She makes her home with her husband – and duo piano partner – and their son.