Mikhail Mordvinov

Born in Moscow in 1977, Mikhail Mordvinov is widely recognized as one of the most established pianists of his generation. His artistry combines technical brilliance with deep musical sensitivity, captivating audiences worldwide.

Mordvinov began playing the piano at the age of six and was admitted to the prestigious Gnessin School of Music in Moscow, where he studied under Tatiana Zelikman. He later graduated with honors from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music, studying with Professor Vladimir Tropp. In 1997 he received the Heinrich Neuhaus Scholarship from the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation and was named “Student of the Year”. From 1999 to 2004 he pursued postgraduate studies at the University of Music and Theatre in Hannover with Professor Bernd Goetzke.

His international career began in 1996 when he won the gold medal and first prize at the 12th Robert Schumann International Competition in Zwickau, followed by first prize and a special award at the 6th Franz Schubert International Competition in Dortmund in 1997. In the following years he received further awards at major competitions including the Long-Thibaud Competition (Paris, 2001), the Piano-e-Competition (Minneapolis, 2006), and the Andorra International Piano Competition (2006).

Since 2000, Mordvinov has been a soloist with the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic Society, collaborating with conductors such as Yuri Simonov, Vladimir Verbitsky, Damian Iorio, and Dmitry Vassiliev. He has performed with leading orchestras including the Munich Philharmonic, the Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra, the Minneapolis Symphony, and the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra.

His repertoire is exceptionally broad, ranging from Baroque to contemporary music, including works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and Shostakovich. He has also premiered works by contemporary composers such as Chris Newman, Boris Filanovsky, Peter Ablinger, Johanna Doderer, Dmitry Kurliandsky, and Alexandra Filonenko, demonstrating a strong affinity for chamber music. His collaborators include sopranos Simone Kermes and Nicole Chevalier, violinists Boris Brovtsyn and Nikolai Znaider, and cellists Raphael Wallfisch and David Geringas.

His recording career began in 1998 with an album dedicated to Schubert and Rachmaninoff (Thorophon). Later recordings include Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky and Schubert–Liszt transcriptions (Genuin, 2014), Les Noces by Stravinsky conducted by Teodor Currentzis (Sony Classical, 2016), and Piazzolla works with the Berlin Konzerthaus Chamber Orchestra.

Mordvinov regularly performs in major concert halls such as the Berlin Konzerthaus and Philharmonie, the Munich Gasteig, Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, the Athens Megaron, the Bucharest Athenaeum, and the Moscow Conservatory and Philharmonic Hall. He also appears at international festivals including the Chopin Festival in Paris, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, the Berlin International Festival, and the Diaghilev Festival in Perm.

Alongside his concert career, Mordvinov is a respected educator. From 2004 to 2011 he taught at the Gnessin Academy in Moscow. Since 2016 he has been a faculty member at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and the Anton Rubinstein International Academy in Düsseldorf. He also gives masterclasses worldwide.

Mikhail Mordvinov lives in Berlin, where he continues to inspire through both performance and teaching.