Pavel Kolesnikov & Samson Tsoy
Biography Pavel Kolesnikov & Samson Tsoy
Pavel Kolesnikov
In 2012 pianist Pavel Kolesnikov became a sensation at the Honens International Piano Competition when he took home the world’s largest piano prize. The London-based pianist was born in Siberia into a family of scientists. He studied both the piano and violin for ten years, before concentrating solely on the piano. Following his Wigmore Hall debut in 2014, The Telegraph gave his recital a rare five-star review and called it “one of the most memorable of such occasions London has witnessed for a while”.
Celebrated for his imaginative, thought-provoking programming which offers the listener a fresh, often unexpected perspective on familiar pieces, Pavel has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, as part of the international Piano Series, Carnegie Hall and Berlin's Konzerthaus, Louvre and Salle Gaveau in Paris, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. In recent years he also performed at La Roque d’Antheron festival, the Musiq3 Festival in Brussels, Piano aux Jacobins in Toulouse, and the Aldeburgh Festival, among others. In 2020/21 he is Artist in Residence at Wigmore Hall performing three recitals throughout the season.
An avid ensemble player, Kolesnikov regularly performs in piano duo with Samson Tsoy and collaborates with other musicians such as cellist Narek Akhnazarian, Hermes String Quartet and Calidore String Quartet. In 2019 he performed the complete cycle of Brahms violin and viola sonatas with Lawrence Power. He formed Trio Aventure
with Elina Buksha and Aurelien Pascal.
Kolesnikov records for Hyperion, with repertoire ranging from rarely heard harpsichord pieces by Louis Couperin to Tchaikovsky's The Seasons. His Chopin Mazurkas album won Diapason d'Or de l'annee, one of world's most prestigious awards in the area of recording. His 6th album, Bach's Goldberg Variations, was released in Autumn 2020. He collaborated with legendary Belgian dancer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker on a new choreographic work based on the Goldberg Variations which was premiered in August 2020 at the Wiener Festwochen and is currently touring the world.
In 2019, together with Samson Tsoy, Kolesnikov started Ragged Music Festival at the Ragged School Museum, former “ragged school” of Dr Barnardo in London’s East End. In the same year Kolesnikov was honoured with the Critics’ Circle Young Talent Award 2019 for piano, praised for his “intensely personal interpretations, often daring in their originality” and his “crusading vision”.
Samson Tsoy
described as "the most promising" by BBC Music Magazine, was named Laureate of the prestigious 2012 Santander International Piano Competition. At the invitation of Elisabeth Leonskaja, Samson performed alongside Jörg Widmann and the Doric String quartet, at London’s Wigmore Hall. The concert received a 5-stars review and appeared on Arts Desk’s list of Best classical concerts of 2015.
Samson is a finalist of the “Vendome Prize” at the Verbier Festival and a 1st Prize Winner of the 9th Campillos International Piano Competition. A recipient of the Milstein Medal Piano Award, Samson also enjoys being part of the City Music Foundation Artists Scheme and a scholarship holder of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust.
Tsoy’s significant recital and festival appearances include: Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Salle Gaveau in Paris, Sala Verdi, Verbier Festival, Honens Festival and Rostropovich Jubilee Festival. Recent and upcoming orchestral appearances include Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie. He worked with conductors such as Michael Hofstetter, Vladimir Ponkin, Diego Masson, Juanjo Mena, and Roberto Minczuk, among others. A wide collaborative experience as a chamber musician include performances with Cuarteto Casals, Zakhar Bron, Hsin-Yun Huang, James Campbell, Eugeny Petrov, Felix Dervaux, Helen Donath. His acclaimed performances have been broadcasted live on BBC Radio 3, Medici TV, CBC, Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française.
Samson Tsoy graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and Royal College of Music in London. He has been studying with and mentored by Yuri Airapetian, Dmitry Bashkirov, Imogen Cooper, Sergei Dorensky, Norma Fisher, Vanessa Latarche, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Maria Joao Pires.
Samson Tsoy enjoys a successful solo career and also performs together with pianist, Pavel Kolesnikov. A piano duo formed in 2009, they travel the world treating audiences to extraordinary, critically acclaimed performances. Their playing has been described as refined, spirited, thrilling and poetic.
