Ilya Poletaev

“Among the most significant pianists of his generation” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), pianist Ilya Poletaev captured First Prize at the prestigious 2010 International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig and, as the winner, has appeared in recital at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. Poletaev leads a multifaceted career as both a classically trained pianist and as a performer on early keyboards – harpsichord, fortepiano, and chamber organ. Upcoming engagements include Bach concertos with the Orchestra of St. Paul’s, a performance with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, and an eight-city tour performing the complete Book II of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. His two-volume recording of the complete works of George Enescu for violin and piano, with violinist Axel Strauss, will soon be released on the Naxos label. Poletaev gave an acclaimed performance at the Caramoor Festival with renowned mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Other recent performances include Medtner’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, solo appearances at Germany’s Klavier-Festival Ruhr and Dresdner Musikfesttäge, Leipzig BachFest, and the Potsdam Musikfestspiele; a concerto performance at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana; and recitals at Italy’s Festival Lago Maggiore, the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He joined the Astral Artists roster as a winner of its 2009 National Auditions. A Moscow native, Poletaev holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Toronto and Doctorate and a Master’s degree from Yale. He served on the faculties of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, the Yale Department of Music, and the Yale School of Music as a lecturer in Early Music. In the spring of 2011, he was appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal.