Daria Rabotkina, winner of the 2007 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, has been lauded as “…a pianist full of fire and warmth” (The Plain-Dealer). Ms. Rabotkina’s burgeoning career has already led to solo appearances with the San Francisco and New World Symphonies under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas and with the Kirov Orchestra and Valery Gergiev in a four concert North American tour. Whether in front of an orchestra, in the recital hall or in a chamber music setting, Ms. Rabotkina impresses audiences and critics alike with her “clearly prodigious musical gifts” (The Washington Post).
In the 2011-12 season, featured concerto performances include a return engagement with the Harrisburg Symphony (Rachmaninoff Concerto No. 1) and debuts with Michigan’s Midland Symphony Orchestra (Schumann Concerto) and Texas’ Victoria Symphony (Grieg). Recital highlights include the Ravinia Festival’s “Rising Stars” series, Chicago’s PianoForte Salon Series and Florida’s Atlantic Music Center.
Ms. Rabotkina’s second solo CD, to be released in late 2011 (CAG Records), features Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations This follows her debut recital disc (also CAG Records), highlighting the Tchaikovsky Grand Sonata and Prokofiev’s Ten Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, which was considered for a 2011 Grammy nomination and which has garnered universal critical praise: “Her fearless virtuosity makes the most of the exciting passages.” (American Record Guide).
Recent concerto highlights include performances with the Montreal Symphony, Moscow State Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony, Orchestra London of Canada and the Kazan State Symphony, collaborating with conductors such as Vladimir Feltsman, Fabio Mechetti and Giancarlo Guerrero. Ms. Rabotkina has given recitals at the Kennedy Center (Washington Performing Arts Society), Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall (CAG/Winners Series) and Merkin Concert Hall in New York, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and in Denmark, Switzerland and Japan. Festival appearances abroad include Russia’s White Nights Festival, Finland’s Kuhmo Festival, France’s Chopin Festival, Copenhagen’s Summer Festival and Germany’s MusikFest in Kreuth. In the US, Ms. Rabotkina has appeared at Music Academy of the West where she studied with Jerome Lowenthal and PianoSummer in New Paltz with Vladimir Feltsman.
In addition to her October 2007 victory at the CAG Competition, Ms. Rabotkina has garnered competition prizes at the Virtuosi per Musica di Pianoforte in the Czech Republic, Tbilisi Competition in Georgia, Jacob Flier Piano Competition in New Paltz, Sendai Competition in Japan, World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Jacksonville Competition in Florida and the Montreal International Musical Competition. In March 2009, St. Vincent College awarded her the inaugural Bronder Prize for Piano, named for the founder of the school’s venerable concert series.
Daria Rabotkina was born in Kazan, Russia, in to a family of musicians and gave her first solo recital at the age of ten. Her first musical steps were guided by her parents, Guzel Abdoullina and Sergei Rabotkin, both outstanding pianists, and Nora Kazachkova at the Special Music School in Kazan.
She earned Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees from Mannes College of Music in New York City where she studied with Vladimir Feltsman and was coached by Leon Pommers, Pamela Frank, Todd Phillips, Timothy Eddy and Jacob Lateiner. She has participated in master classes with Earl Wild, Edward Aldwell, Eteri Andjaparidze, Andras Schiff and Richard Goode. Ms. Rabotkina has nearly completed a doctorate degree from the Eastman School of Music, where she is a “Liberace Scholar,” under the tutelage of Natalya Antonova.
Website: www.dariarabotkina.com