Yakov Izrailevich Zak ( uk, Яків Ізраїлович Зак), (russian: link=no, Яков Израилевич Зак), ''Jiakov Israilevič Sak''; Odessa, – Moscow, 28 June 1976) was a Soviet and Russian pianist and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1966). Born in Odessa, Zak studied piano at the Odessa Conservatory with Maria Starkhova, took classes on special harmony with

Mykola Vilinsky Mykola Mykolayovych Vilinsky ( uk, Микола Миколайович Вілінський; 14 May 18889 September 1956) was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer who held senior chairs at the Odesa Conservatory and later the Kyiv Conservatory. He ...

, and later studied with

Heinrich Neuhaus Heinrich Gustav Neuhaus ( pl, Henryk (Harry) Neuhaus, russian: Ге́нрих Густа́вович Нейга́уз, Genrikh Gustavovič Nejgauz, 10 October 1964) was a Russian-born pianist and teacher of German and Polish extraction. Part of ...

in Moscow, graduating in 1935. Having made his debut in 1935, he rose to prominence

Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...

, 88 notes pour piano solo, "Solo nec plus ultra", Neva Editions, 2015, p. 51. . when he won First Prize and the Mazurka Prize at the

III International Chopin Piano Competition The III International Chopin Piano Competition ( pl, III Międzynarodowy Konkurs Pianistyczny im. Fryderyka Chopina) was held from 21 February to 13 March 1937 in Warsaw. It was the last competition before the outbreak of World War II, and the ...

in 1937. From 1935 Zak taught 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 ...

, becoming a professor in 1947 and being granted a chair in 1965. His pupils include Eliso Virsaladze, Irina Zaritskaya, Nikolai Petrov, Evgeny Mogilevsky,

Svetlana Navasardyan , native_name_lang = , alias = , birth_date = , birth_place = Alaverdi, Armenian SSR, USSR , origin = Soviet Union, Armenia , death_date = , death_place = , genre ...

, Lyubov Timofeyeva,

Valery Afanassiev Valery Afanassiev (russian: Валерий Павлович Афанасьев, ''Valerij Pavlovič Afanasiev''; born 8 September 1947) is a Russian pianist, writer and conductor. Life Valery Afanassiev was born in Moscow. He studied piano at ...

, Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey, Vladimir Bakk, and

Youri Egorov Youri Aleksandrovich Egorov (russian: Юрий Александрович Егоров; 28 May 1954 – 16 April 1988) was a Soviet and Monegasque classical pianist. Early years Born in Kazan, USSR, Youri Egorov studied music at the Kazan Conser ...

References

Yakov Zak, biography
#Yakov Zak, Stat'i, Materially, Vospominaniia (Papers, Documents, Memoirs), Moscow, "Sovetskii Kompozitor", 198

# {{DEFAULTSORT:Zak, Yakov 1913 births 1976 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists Musicians from Odesa Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Moscow Conservatory alumni Moscow Conservatory academic personnel People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour International Chopin Piano Competition winners Jewish classical composers Jewish classical pianists Odesa Jews Russian classical pianists Russian male classical composers Russian music educators Soviet classical pianists Soviet male classical composers Soviet music educators Burials at Kuntsevo Cemetery