JURY

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Honored Artist of Russian Federation (1997)

A First Prize winner at the Pro Piano International Competition in New York, USA (1998)

A Silver Medal, Second Prize and Special Prize winner for the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work at the Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, USA (1993)

A Second Prize winner with special distinction of jury and Gold Medal at the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy (1987)

“He has everything: the fingers to negotiate the virtuoso repertory, the musicality and imagination to make the most familiar music sound fresh and compelling.” 

– THE NEW YORK TIMES

Russian pianist Valery Kuleshov is among the most brilliant virtuosos of his generation. At the age of nine, as a student at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, Valery Kuleshov made his concert debut with orchestra on stage of the Moscow Conservatory Great Hall. In 1995 he made his first appearance at Isaac Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall in New York.

Years of studies with the world’s most acclaimed musicians, including Dmitri Bashkirov, Vladimir Tropp, Stanislav Pochekin, Karl Urlich Schnabel, Leon Fleischer, Fou Ts’ong, Byron Janis, and Earl Wild have created the foundation for a spectacular international performance career with has included appearances at the best concert halls in Russia, North and South America, Canada, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, England, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, Mexico and Dominican Republic.

Major music festivals such as Radio France et Montpellier, Colmar, La rogue d’Anthéron, Schleswig-Holstein, Russian Winter, Stars on Baikal, Ravinia, Rimini and Davos are also on his list of appearances.

In addition to maintaining his international performing schedule, Valery Kuleshov has been, since 1997, serving as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma, USA.

In 2016 The Kuleshov International Piano Festival & Competition was established by UCO Collage of Fine Arts and Design. www.TheKuleshov.com 

Mr. Kuleshov’s recordings have been released on BIS, Philips, VAI Audio, JVC Victor, MCA, Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, Melody, Bel Air Music, Vista Vera and Piano Classics. 

Kuleshov’s name is linked to that of Vladimir Horowitz. As an homage, Kuleshov accomplished the extraordinary task of writing out, by ear, the legendary master’s unpublished piano arrangements, and then trumped his own feat by learning to play and perform these super virtuosic pieces. After listening to Kuleshov’s recordings of his own arrangements, Horowitz has shown his appreciation by writing to the young musician: “I was not only delighted by your fantastic performances, but I congratulate you on your keen ear and great patience that were required to write out, note by note, the scores of these unpublished transcriptions, by listening to my recordings.” (October 6, 1987)

Documented by historic photographs, their meeting in 1989 at Horowitz’s apartment in New York was touching and intimate. The maestro not only listened to the young virtuoso play, but also gave him most valuable advice and offered to give him consultations free of charge. The great pianist’s death left this plans unrealized.

Valery Kuleshov’s performing art is based on the best Russian piano traditions. One can find in his playing emotional sincerity, rich colors, brilliant virtuosity, profound understanding of composer’s styles and freshness of interpretation.

“What sound! What allure! What a musician”

– LE MONDE, FRANCE