Nikita Fitenko Piano - Guest Artist Recital

Nikita Fitenko Piano - Guest Artist Recital

Artist Biography:

Internationally acclaimed pianist and Yamaha Artist Nikita Fitenko has performed recitals and with orchestras in the former Soviet Union, Europe, Asia, and South and North America. He has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as St. Petersburg Capella Symphony, Russian Chamber Philharmonic, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow, St. Petersburg State Conservatory Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra, Slovak National Philharmonic, Corvallis Symphony Orchestra, Lewisville Symphony, Rapides Symphony, and Northwestern Symphony Orchestra among others.

While performing a wide and diverse repertoire, Nikita Fitenko is an acknowledged master of Russian piano music. His CDs for Altarus Records of complete piano works by leading contemporary Russian composers Georgy Sviridov and Sergei Slonimsky have garnered rave reviews from the international music press. Fanfare Music Review wrote, "Fitenko plays magnificently!" Slonimsky himself described Fitenko's interpretation of his piano music as "outstanding." He also added, "It is very vivid, imaginative, virtuosic, fascinating, and pianistically brilliant." Mr. Fitenko's recording of Scriabin's Piano Concerto with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow was released internationally on Classical Records label. His latest solo recordings of works by Bach, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, and Rachmaninov as well as 'All Tchaikovsky CD' for Classical Records were released in 2015 & 2017 (all recordings are available through Amazon & iTunes).
In addition to solo recitals, Nikita Fitenko performs extensively in piano duo with Katerina Zaitseva. Hailed by critics for their "superlative sound, superlative interpretation, and superlative pianism…", the duo has performed worldwide with most recent appearances at the Moscow State Conservatory Hall (Russia), Madeira Music Festival (Portugal), Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage (Washington, D.C.), Yamaha Hall (NYC), Piano Duo Series (Tokyo, Japan), Nancyphonies Music Festival (France), University of Florida Young Pianists Festival, and Berkeley University (California, USA). Their critically acclaimed CDs featuring works for piano four hands by Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms and works for two pianos by Sergei Rachmaninov have been released internationally by the Classical Records label and are available through Amazon & iTunes.

Native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Nikita Fitenko graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory with a citation for excellence given to only five other graduates in the last fifty years. After receiving the Anton Rubinstein Memorial Award, he came to study to the US pursuing his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of North Texas. His principal teachers included Roman Lebedev, Igor Lebedev, and Joseph Banowetz.

Currently, Dr. Fitenko holds a position of Associate Professor of Piano at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Prior to that he was Associate Professor and Coordinator of Keyboard Area at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He is the Artistic Director of the American International Piano Festival & Competition (www.aipfc.us) and the Washington International Piano Festival (www.washingtonpianofest.com). Dr. Fitenko was also the founder of the Louisiana International and Florida International Piano Competitions."

Address

435 Newell Dr.
Gainesville

Phone

352-392-0223

Website

Music Building Room 101 (MUB 101) Website