Stepan Simonian | Age 26 | Russia/Germany

Born in Moscow, Mr. Simonian made his concerto debut with The Moscow Chamber Orchestra at the age of twelve. He graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in 2004. In 2005, he won the First Prize in the Virginia Waring International Piano Competition (formerly Joanna Hodges) in the US.

Mr. Simonian began his piano studies at the age of five and his first teacher was his grandfather, artistic director and chief conductor of Alexadrov's Red Army ensemble. At the age of seven he entered the renowned Central School of Music in Moscow where his teachers were Siavush Gadijev and Yuri Slesarev. During his school years he won Third Prize at the Stephane Elmas Piano Competition organized by the Swiss Stephane Elmas Foundation and the "Most Promising Young Talent Prize" at the Young Concert Artists International Piano Competition in Tunbridge Wells, UK.

In 2000, Mr. Simonian entered the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and studied piano with Pavel Nersessian and chamber music with Nina Kogan. One year later he began private lessons with Armen Babakhanian. While he was a student at the conservatory, he won Second Prize in the Yerevan Piano Competition which was dedicated to the 1700 Anniversary of Christianity in Armenia.

Upon graduation from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Mr. Simonian gained an entrance award for postgraduate study at the Hochschüle für Musik und Theater in Hamburg. Based in Hamburg ever since, Stepan has already given some notable performances in the US, Russia and throughout Europe. He played at the Bolshoi Hall of Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire with The Moscow Chamber Orchestra under Constantine Orbelian, at the Moscow International House of Music and most recently made his Carnegie Hall, Weill Hall solo debut in January, 2006. In the summer of 2006, he was a semifinalist in the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition and in May, 2007, won First Prize in the Elise Meyer Wettbewerb competition in Hamburg.
Mr. Simonian has performed in Duke's Hall of the Royal Academy of Music, London, the McCallum Theatre in Palm Springs, California, the Kleiner Saal, Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, the Bolshoi Hall of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire and the Palau de Musica in Valencia.

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