performers
Alexander Malofeev
Alexander Malofeev came to international prominence when, in 2014, he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians at age thirteen. Reviewing the performance, Amadeus noted, “Contrary to what could be expected of a youngster…he demonstrated not only high technical accuracy but also an incredible maturity. Crystal clear sounds and perfect balance revealed his exceptional ability.” Since this triumph, Malofeev has quickly established himself as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation.
Recent appearances include a tour of Asia with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly, as well as performances with the Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari under Mikhail Pletnev, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kirill Karabits in the UK, and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra and Fabio Luisi in Italy. In 2022, Malofeev made debuts at major summer festivals including the Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, Aspen Music Festival with Vasily Petrenko, and the Tanglewood Music Festival with Michael Tilson Thomas. Future appearances include his return to the Bournemouth Symphony in a multi-concert residency, and performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and the Isarphilharmonie in Munich.
Alexander Malofeev performs with some of the best known orchestras around the world including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, State Chamber Orchestra "Moscow Virtuosi," Baltic Sea Philharmonic Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, Orchestre National de Lille, and the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra. He regularly appears with the most distinguished conductors on stage today, including Riccardo Chailly, Mikhail Pletnev, Myung-Whun Chung, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, JoAnn Falletta, Susanna Mälkki, Lionel Bringuier, Alondra de la Parra, Marcelo Lehninger, Juraj Valcuha, Kazuki Yamada, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Kristjan Jarvi, Kirill Karabits, Vladimir Spivakov, Vladimir Fedoseyev, and Vasily Petrenko, among others.
Malofeev opened the 30th anniversary concert of the renowned Meester Pianists series at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Other recent highlights include concerts at Teatro alla Scala, Kurhaus Wiesbaden, Munich Herkulessaal, Philharmonie de Paris, Theater of the Champs-Elysees, Auditorium Parco della Musica in Roma, Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Australia, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, the Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinsky Theatre, and the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
He has been a guest of renowned music festivals and series including International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron Festival and La Folle Journée de Nantes in France; Rheingau Music Festival in Germany; Merano Music Festival, Palermo Classica Festival, and International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo in Italy; Denis Matsuev’s Crescendo Festival; the Mikkeli Music Festival in Finland; the Mariinsky International Piano Festival and the International Winter Festival Arts Square directed by Yuri Temirkanov in St. Petersburg; Master Pianist Series in Amsterdam; Stars on Baikal International Music Festival; Zaubersee Festival in Switzerland; Celebrity Series of Boston; and Stars of the White Nights Festival in Russia.
In addition to his First Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, he has won numerous awards and prizes at international competitions and festivals, including the Grand Prix of the first International Competition for Young Pianists Grand Piano Competition, the Premio Giovane Talento Musicale dell’anno and Best Young Musician of 2017. Also in 2017, Alexander Malofeev became the first Young Yamaha Artist.
In the spring of 2020, Sony Classical released the Tchaikovsky 2020 box-set celebrating the 180th anniversary of Tchaikovsky with a recording of his First Concerto performed by Alexander Malofeev with the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra and Alexander Sladkovsky.
Alexander Malofeev was born in Moscow in October 2001. He studied at two legendary Moscow institutions, Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music and Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory.
Performances
Festival Napa Valley kicks off its 17th season with a celebratory evening featuring two beloved masterpieces and one world premiere. The concert opens with a new work by rising young composer Yang Bao. Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas takes center stage for Joaquín Rodrigo’s iconic Concierto de Aranjuez. The evening culminates with pianist Alexander Malofeev performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s lush Piano Concerto No. 2 – a fitting tribute to one of the world’s greatest composers on his 150th Anniversary. Kyle Dickson, 2023 recipient of the Joel Revzen Conducting Fellowship, leads Festival Orchestra Napa.
Described as “the latest phenomenon of the Russian piano school” (Corriere della Sera), Malofeev came to international prominence when he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in 2014 at age 13. Since then, he has appeared with some of the world’s top orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. The piano virtuoso celebrates Rachmaninoff’s 150th Anniversary with a program featuring the composer’s most beloved works in the idyllic setting of Bouchaine Vineyards — the oldest continuously-operating winery in the region.