Faculty: Svetlana Smolina (piano)

svetlana smolina

SVETLANA SMOLINA performed with orchestras and in recitals worldwide. A recipient of “New Names” scholarship program, her notable appearances with orchestras include Mariinsky Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher, St.Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestra National de France, Dublin Philharmonic, Odessa and Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, New Florida Philharmonic, South Florida Symphony, Shreveport Symphony, New York Chamber. A frequent guest at festivals worldwide, Ms. Smolina has performed at the Salzburg Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia Rising Stars, White Nights, Maggio Musicale, Mikkeli, Ruhr, Moscow Easter, Rotterdam Phillips Gergiev, International Gilmore, Settimane Musicali di Stresa, Michelangeli, Hennessy Artists Series at Hanoi Opera House, The Voice of Music in Upper Galilee, in Royal Covent Garden Opera, Mariinsky 3 Concert Hall, Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory, Mozarteum, Merkin Hall, Kravis Center, NJPAC, Yellow Lounge Berlin, Gulbenkian Foundation, Grand Artists Series in Tel-Aviv, Academia Santa Cecilia in Rome, New Names and D. Sakharov Festival in Russia.

Recent recordings include Stravinsky’s Igor Stravinsky Les noces (Valery Gergiev, conductor on Decca/Phillips and on Mariinsky Label which received ICMA award for Best Choral Work in 2011), a recording of solo Chopin Album for the Chopin iTunes Project, Benjamin Britten Young Apollo live recording from Walt Disney Hall for BCM+D records and many broadcasts for NPR,WQXR New York, BBC, PBS, RAI, Cultura TV and other networks.

In the summer of 2011 Svetlana joined iPalpiti Festival of International Laureates in Los Angeles, making her debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall with iPalpiti Orchestra (Eduard Schmieder, conductor). Since 2011 Svetlana is directing piano program at Philadelphia International Music Festival.

In 2014 Svetlana won “Live on Stage” live showcases and was chosen as their only Classical Pianist Artist for 2015-16 season. This upcoming tour brings her to more than 20 states. Svetlana recently was featured and gave an interview for Keyboard Magazine Other collaborations include a series of concerts with Robert Davi and Dave Konig at Eisenhower Park, Harry Chapin Lakeside Theater presented by Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano.

In 2014-15 Vadim Repin gave a series of concerts /presentation with Svetlana at the residences of Ambassador of Russia in Washington DC and in London UK for Maestro Repin’s Trans -Siberian Art Festival. Their recital in March 2015 in Koerner Hall in Toronto, Canada received an astonishing critical acclaim. In July 2015 they performed a recital as part of “2015 – Russian Year in Monaco Shining Stars of Russia” concert series in the Salle Garnier, Monte-Carlo Opera for Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

In 2015-16 season Svetlana opened the season with Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional Juvenil in Lima, Peru, and was chosen as the soloist on the New Year tour to China with Dublin Philharmonic/ Maestro Derek Gleeson performing Rachmaninoff Concerto throughout in 7 cities including Suzhou Grand Theater, Harbin New Opera House and Harbin Concert Hall, Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall, Tianjin Grand Theater and in Changsha opening its new Concert Hall.

Highlights of 2016-2017 include performances and recordings at the inauguration year/ opening of Tippet Rise Festival in Montana together with Christopher O’ Riley with

released CD on Pentatone Oxingale Records in July 2017, duo recitals with Vadim Repin at Cartagena Music Festival in Teatro Colon, Bogota for “2017 Columbia- France Year”, in Bangalore, Mumbai India for XXV Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival, at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy; Carnegie Hall recital with Lee-Chin Siow, concert at Sentosa World Theater in Singapore concert for International Women Day/Chinese Chamber of Commerce, masterclasses in Singapore at NAFA, tour with South Florida Symphony / Maestra Sebrina Alfonso in Florida and a recital in Buenos Aires, Argentina at CCK Symphony Hall for “The Best Pianists of the 21st Century “series”.

In the Spring of 2018 Svetlana played at the opening night of Navrasa Duende Global Carnival with Dublin Philharmonic on Nehru Stadium/ New Delhi; performed a duo recital at Basel Stadtcasino, Switzerland with Charlie Siem, made her debuts with Missouri Symphony and Eastern Connecticut Symphony, gave masterclasses/ workshops and a concert tour in China for Winplus International and at Varna International Summer Academy in Bulgaria.

Invitations for 2019 included a concert at VI Trans-Siberian Arts Festival with Vadim Repin and Alexander Kniazev, masterclass at Trans- Siberian Art Festival in Novosibirsk for its educational program “ Simply Meet the Star”, debut at Lake Tahoe Festival with Maestro Joel Revzen with Rachmaninoff 3 rd concerto, orchestra and solo debuts at the Festival in Ushuaia, Argentina with invitation to become their annual Artist in Residence Pianist, orchestra concerts in 5 cities in Florida with South Florida Symphony, recitals in Sarasota for Chopin project, solo recital and recordings in Bangalore, India with Dr. Subramaniam for Sree Rama Seva Mandali Festival and an orchestra recording of Beethoven Double Concerto with Maestro Derek Gleeson and Pavel Sporcl at Bulgarian National Radio in Sofia, Bulgaria.

The most recent invitations include Ushuaia International Festival in Argentina, a tour in Brazil, debut with Maestro Daniel Boothe and Symphonicity at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, performances with Maestro Evgeny Bushkov and Belarusian State Chamber Orchestra at Minsk Philharmonic and with Maestro Vladimir Plaksin and Nizhny Novgorod State Chamber Orchestra.

From September 2020 Mrs. Smolina is appointed to be a Program Director at the Piano Academy at the European Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia, a Division of Irish American University.

Svetlana is a Grand Prix Winner of Citta Di Senigallia International Piano Competition, Kingsville Piano Competition, William Byrd Young Artists Piano Competition and a Prize Winner of Murray Dranoff International Duo Piano Competition and Shreveport Symphony Wideman Piano Competition. Mrs. Smolina studied at Indiana University with Professor Alexander Toradze (BM), at Balakirev Music College with Natalia Fish (BM), at Oberlin Conservatory with Monique Duphil (BM), at Brussels Royal Conservatory with Eugeny Mogilevsky (Artist Diploma), and at University of Michigan with Arthur Greene where she received her DMA.