23-year-old pianist to give master class and performance

Roman Rabinovich

As part of the ongoing partnership with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the SUNY Fredonia School of Music welcomes Israeli pianist Roman Rabinovich for a master class with Fredonia piano students on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 4 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall.

The School of Music has partnered with the BPO for four years, bringing an annual symphony orchestra concert featuring a member of the Fredonia music faculty as soloist (this year’s concert was on Friday, October 30 with cellist Natasha Farny), along with several master classes for the campus and community.

This piano master class will feature three current piano students, who were selected by the piano faculty after hearing each student perform their chosen repertoire. Members of the community are invited to attend the class, to hear the student pianists perform and receive critiques and suggestions for improved playing by Mr. Rabinovich. Mr. Rabinovich will perform Mozart’s A major concerto with the Buffalo Philharmonic later in the week.

Twenty-three year old Israeli pianist Roman Rabinovich is the winner of the 2008 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. Roman was already praised by critics for the “vivacity and virtuosity” and “the impeccable clarity of execution” and has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Israel in such prestigious venues as Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie’s Weill Hall, the Metropolitan Museum, the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory and Glazunov Hall in St. Petersburg, and many more.

At age 10 he made his Israel Philharmonic Orchestra debut under the baton of Zubin Mehta, and performed with that orchestra and Maestro Mehta again in 1999 and 2003. He has performed as a soloist with most Israeli orchestras (including Israel Philharmonic, Rishon-Lizion, Jerusalem, Haifa, Raanana Symphony orchestras), the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (NY), Ann Arbor Symphony (MI), Delaware symphony (DE), Ashland Symphony (OH), Neuchatel Chamber Orchestra (Switzerland), Moscow Conservatory Chamber orchestra and many others.

He is a winner of the top prize and four additional awards, including the prestigious Mezzo Award at the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Israel, the 2009 Salon Virtuosi award, the Rafi Gouralnik and the Meira Gera audience prizes at the Aviv Competition in Israel, the Animato and the Arjil Piano Competitions in Paris, Frank Peleg Piano Competition, the annual Tel Aviv Music Academy competition, as well as “Vendome Virtuosi” prize, the young orchestral soloists of the Delaware Symphony competition and received financial support from Tzfunot Tarbut, as well as scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation from 1996 to 2004. He has participated in international festivals such as, Ravinia’s Steans Institute, Verbier Academy in Switzerland, Conservatoire Week in St. Petersburg, Russia, Felicia Blumental Festival in Tel-Aviv, Israel, and Israel Festival. He was featured on radio and TV in numerous occasions in Israel (Kol HaMusica), Italy, Germany, and the United States (including the biggest classical station in NY, WQXR).