Alexander Iosifovich Braginsky (, ''Aleksandr Iosifovič Braginskij''; May 29, 1944) is a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n-born pianist and pedagogue, currently living in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Life and career

He studied at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

with Alexander Borisovich Goldenweiser, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the flagship institution of th ...

and at the

Hamline University Hamline University ( ) is a private university in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1854, Hamline is the oldest university in Minnesota, the first coeducational university in the state, and is one of five Associated Colleges of th ...

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

, 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 Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded ...

'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 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 City, New York at the age of nine. He entered the Professional Children's School and the Mannes College of Music, where he studied ear tra ...

, Jan Lisiecki, Eric Lu, among others. The last edition of the competition was held in 2021, but it has since been discontinued. 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 Russian male classical pianists Jewish classical pianists 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century Russian male musicians Moscow Conservatory alumni