Vladimir Ashkenazy

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Born in the former Soviet Union in 1937, Vladimir Ashkenazy first came to prominence on the world stage in the 1955 Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

He has now built an extraordinary career, not only as one of the most renowned and revered pianists of our times, but as an artist whose creative life encompasses a vast range of activities and continues to offer inspiration to music-lovers across the world.

Conducting has formed the largest part of his activities for the past 20 years and, following on from his period as Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic from 1998 to 2003, Ashkenazy took up the position of Music Director of NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo in September 2004. In Autumn 2005 he completed his second highly successful European tour with them, including a televised concert at the Vienna Musikverein which marked the orchestra’s debut in this prestigious venue.

Alongside his position with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Ashkenazy is also Conductor Laureate with the Philharmonia Orchestra and holds the positions of Music Director of the European Union Youth Orchestra and Conductor Laureate of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Beyond his hectic and fulfilling performing schedule, Ashkenazy continues to be involved in many other projects.  He has developed educational programmes with NHK TV including the 1999 Superteachers working with inner-city London school children, and in 2003-4 a documentary based around his ‘Prokofiev and Shostakovich Under Stalin’ project.

www.vladimirashkenazy.com