Alexander Iosifovich Braginsky (russian: Александр Иосифович Брагинский, ''Aleksandr Iosifovič Braginskij''; May 29, 1944) is a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n-born pianist and pedagogue, currently living in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Life and career

He studied at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

with

Alexander Borisovich Goldenweiser Alexander Borisovich Goldenweiser (or ''Goldenveyzer''; russian: Алекса́ндр Бори́сович Гольденве́йзер; 26 November 1961), was a Soviet and Russian pianist, teacher and composer. Goldenweiser was born in Chişin� ...

, and, after Goldenweiser's death in 1961, with Theodore Gutman. In the early 1970s, he left Russia with his wife, Tatiana Remenikova, never to visit again until 2004. After first spending a couple of years in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

he then moved to the USA. He is on the piano faculty at the

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

and at the

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline o ...

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, where he works with a select group of piano students from around the world. In addition to his teaching schedule, Braginsky continues to perform, mostly as a soloist and a chamber musician (with his cellist wife). He has recorded a number of works, including

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

's 24 Preludes (op.34), Piano Sonata No.2 (op.61), and Sonata for Violoncello and Piano (op.40). A number of composers had their works premiered by Braginsky, including the Minnesota-based

Stephen Paulus Stephen Paulus (August 24, 1949 – October 19, 2014) was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature. His best-known piece is his 1 ...

and

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

. Braginsky realized the possibility of combining his piano artistry with the computer technology of the late 1980s, adding a novel dimension to his performances. In 2002 Braginsky founded the Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition that occurs every two years and features the

Disklavier-Pro Disklavier is a brand of reproducing pianos manufactured by Yamaha Corporation. The first Disklavier was introduced in the United States in 1987. The typical Disklavier is a real acoustic piano outfitted with electronic sensors for recording and ...

pianos, produced by Yamaha. The competition added a junior version in 2008. The competition has attracted several top young pianists from around the world. Many of the competition's former prizewinners and contestants have gone on to achieve significant success on the international concert stage, including

Mei-Ting Sun Mei-Ting Sun (), born 14 March 1981, is a classical pianist. A native of Shanghai, Sun arrived in New York at the age of nine. He entered the Professional Children's School and the Mannes College of Music, where he studied ear training with M ...

Jan Lisiecki Jan Lisiecki (; born March 23, 1995) is a Canadian-born classical pianist of Polish ancestry. Lisiecki performs over a hundred concerts annually and has worked closely with the world's leading orchestras and conductors, his career at the top of ...

Eric Lu Eric Lu (born December 15, 1997) is an American classical pianist. Hailed by ''The Guardian'' as a pianist with "the magic touch of...Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu", he won the gold medal at the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2018 at age ...

, among others. Braginsky has served on the faculty and juries of prominent festivals and competitions worldwide, including at the International Keyboard Institute/Festival in New York, and the Beijing International Music Festival/Academy. Many of his students have been prizewinners in prestigious local, national and international piano competitions. Braginsky has taught a number of notable pianists who received critical acclaim.

References

External links

Braginsky's profile at the University of Minnesota

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braginsky, Alexander 1944 births Living people Russian classical pianists Male classical pianists Jewish classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century Russian male musicians