Russian superstar pianist Denis Kozhukhin comes to Saratoga this November 22

Steinway Society The Bay Area, the non-profit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in piano performance and music education in the Bay Area, continues its 20th Anniversary Piano Series by presenting acclaimed virtuoso Denis Kozhukhin. Launched onto the international music scene after winning First Prize in the 2010 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels at the age of 23, Mr. Kozhukhin had already established a formidable reputation, appearing at many of the world’s most prestigious festivals and concert halls. Mr. Kozhukhin will perform at 7:30pm on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at the McAfee Performing Arts Center, 20300 Herriman Avenue, Saratoga.

Born in Nizhni Novgorod, Russia, into a family of musicians, Denis Kozhukhin began his piano studies at the age of four with his mother. As a boy, he attended the Balakirev School of Music where he studied under Natalia Fish. From 2000 to 2007, Kozhukhin was a pupil at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid studying with Dimitri Bashkirov and Claudio Martinez-Mehner, where he received his diploma personally from the Queen of Spain, and was named best student in his year. He went on to appear at many of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and competitions including the Verbier Festival, where he won the Prix d’Honneur.

Last month, Mr. Kozhukhin released his second recital album of four Haydn keyboard sonatas, on ONYX Classics. The new recording follows Mr. Kozhukhin’s first album, a collection of Prokofiev’s “War Sonatas.” Classical Source commented “On the strength alone of these interpretations and realisations, it may well be that Denis Kozhukhin can be considered as the leader of the pack of Russian pianists currently under forty.” BBC Music Magazine noted “I’ve never heard so much revelatory detail in Prokofiev’s triptych of dark and painful masterpieces. Kozhukhin has a way of bringing out the details of the inner parts, or even a usually inconsequential-seeming bass line, that highlights the drama instead of detracting from it.”

At this concert, Mr. Kozhukhin will perform a program including Haydn’s “Sonata in D Major, Hob. XVI:24,” Brahms’ “Seven Fantasien, Op. 116,” Liszt’s “Bénédiction de Dieu dans la Solitude,” and Prokofiev’s “Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, Op. 84.”

The Steinway Society’s 20th Annual Piano Series will continue in 2015 with the internationally acclaimed Georgian pianist Alexander Korsantia on February 7 and with piano master Alexander Ghidin on March 14. For a full schedule of the season’s pianists, visit www.steinwaysociety.com

Founded in 1994, Steinway Society The Bay Area is a non-profit volunteer-based organization with a mission “to promote excellence in piano performance and music education in the Bay Area.” The organization is now recognized as a cultural gem of San Jose and the entire South Bay Area, highly regarded for offering a unique set of piano recitals in intimate, elegant settings across the region.

For information or to order tickets call (408) 990-0872 or visit www.steinwaysociety.com.