Kern, Olga Vladimirovna

Olga Kern was born into a family of musicians, her grandfather was an internationally known oboe professor, and great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother (pianists) were friendly and collaborated with the great Russian composers S. V. Rakhmaninov and P. I. Tchaikovsky ; Olga's parents are pianists. She began to play the piano from the age of five with the Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation Evgeny Mikhailovich Timakin at the Central Music School at the Moscow State Conservatory and played her first concert at 7 in Moscow ^[1] .

At age 11, Olga won the youth international competition Concertino Prague in Prague , Czech Republic . At the age of 17, she won the first prize and the Gran Prix at the 1st International Rachmaninov Competition in Moscow. While still a student of the school, she received a scholarship from President of Russia Boris Yeltsin .

Olga Kern continued her studies at the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky in the class of Professor Sergey Leonidovich Dorensky , where she graduated from graduate school. At the same time, she studied in Italy, in the city of Imola , at the Incontri col Maestro Academy of Pianists, with Professor Boris Vsevolodovich Petrushansky ^[1] .

In 1988-1994 She was a scholarship holder of the New Names charity foundation. From the foundation she has performed with numerous concerts around the world, including concerts in Iceland for the President of Iceland, Vigdis Finnbogadottir , as well as at the UN in New York . In 1991, Olga performed for Mikhail Gorbachev and Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu at the Wave 2000 festival in Tokyo .

Laureate and winner of numerous competitions in Europe and Asia, Olga Kern became the first woman in 30 years to receive the 1st prize and gold medal at the 11th International Pianist Competition named after Van Cliburn in Fort Worth , Texas, USA, in June 2001.

After that, in December 2001, Olga was invited to speak in Washington, at the Kennedy Center, in honor of Van Cliburn , and in the White House for George W. Bush. Olga starred in three documentaries about the competition of V. Cliburn - “Playing on the Edge” (2001), “They came to play” (2008), and “The Cliburn: 50 years of Gold”. A documentary about Olga was also shot immediately after the competition of V. Cliburn, titled “Olga's Journey” (2003) ^[2] .

Olga Kern has performed concerts around the world in such venues as Carnegie Hall , Lincoln Center , Avery Fisher Hall , Hollywood Bowl, Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic , Albert Hall in London , Symphony Hall in Osaka , the Festspielhaus in Salzburg , at the La Scala opera house in Milan , at Tonhall in Zurich , at the Chatelet Theater in Paris , at the Munich Gaisteig, at Tonhalle in Düsseldorf , at the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg , at the Milan Conservatory named after Joepe Tepp in Bologna , in the Rudolfinum hall in Prague , in the Cadogan hall in Londo no, in Edinburgh at Usher Hall, in Glasgow at the Royal Concert Hall, in Lisbon at the Grande Auditorio Culturgest and in Madrid at the National Auditorium of Music ^[3] .

America

Olga Kern has performed in almost all US states, including concerts with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In Canada, she performed with the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Her solo performances also took place throughout North America, in Canada and in Mexico. In South America, Olga performed in Peru, in Colombia, in Brazil and Chile.

Russia

In her homeland, Olga performed with many of the best orchestras in Russia, including the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra " Moscow virtuosos ”and the State Chamber Orchestra. With solo concerts she traveled all over Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Olga Kern is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Arts .

Europe

Olga performed in many countries of Europe - both with orchestras, including such world-famous bands as The Proms in London, La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgart Staatsorchester, Essen Philarmonic Orchestra , and the Georgian chamber orchestra with solo performances (Belgrade, Zagreb, Skopje, Paris, Warsaw, Reykjavik, Copenhagen, Bolzano, Helsingborg, etc.) ^{[3] [4]} .

Africa and East

Olga gave concerts in many countries of the African continent, including performances with Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, South Africa, Philharmonic orchestra of Morocco and Johannesburg philharmonic orchestra. In Asia, she performed with such bands as Seoul Philharmonic orchestra, China National Symphony orchestra and Taipei Symphony orchestra. Olga also performed recitals in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel.

Olga Kern was the artistic director of the summer festival in Cape Town , South Africa (2006-2011) ^[5] .

She has participated in concerts at many international festivals in Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Mexico, Turkey, Switzerland, Denmark, Romania, Poland and South Africa. Among the most significant - Ravinia Festival, Festival Casals in Puerto Rico, White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Aspen Festival, Colorado, USA, Bravo Vail Valley a music Festival, Ohrid Summer Festival, Macedonia, and Sangat Festival Chamber music festival in Bombay, India.

Olga Kern collaborated with such world-famous conductors as Valery Gergiev, Leonard Slatkin, Vladimir Spivakov, Manfred Honeck, Christoph Eschenbach, James Conlon, Vasily Petrenko, Anthony Vit, Pinkas Zuckerman, James DePrist, Marine Alsop, Michael Plasson, Hans Graf, Alexander Laza , Vasily Sinaisky, Peter Unjian, Christian Mandeal, Zdenek Matsal, Jaap van Zweden, Giancarlo Guerrero and Konstantin Orbelian.

In 2012, Olga performed with a chamber music program as part of a North American tour with the famous violinist Vladimir Spivakov. The following year, 2013, in honor of celebrating the 140th anniversary of the birth of S.V. Rakhmaninov, Olga toured with a program of all 4 concerts plus a Rhapsody on the theme of Paganini S.V. Rachmaninov, with maestro Leonard Slatkin and the National Orchestra of Lyon (France). She played the same program with the orchestras of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Colorado, Arizona and Warsaw.

Olga also collaborated with famous opera singers - soprano Kathleen Bettle and Rene Fleming - and with the famous quartet Takash and cellist David Finkel ^[6] .

In 2012, she was invited by an outstanding director Steven Spielberg to perform a concert for his Shoah Foundation in Hollywood, Los Angeles ^[7] .

In 2014, Olga Kern opened with great success with her solo concerts a new hall for the Van Cliburn Foundation in Fort Worth, Texas. ^[eight]

In 2014, she became the exclusive artist of Steinway and Sons ^[3] .

In 2012, Olga Kern, together with her brother, conductor, composer, associate professor Vladimir Kern, created the Aspiration charitable foundation. The goal and idea of ​​the foundation is to provide financial and artistic assistance to young musicians around the world. ^[9]

Olga Kern lives in New York with her son, Vladislav Kern, who plays piano at the Juilliard School . In her free time, Olga loves to paint with watercolors. ^[one]

• 1986. International competition "Concertino Prague" (Prague, Czech Republic).
• 1993. First International Competition named after Rachmaninov (Moscow, Russia).
• 1996. International Competition. Viotti (Vercelli, Italy).
• 1996. International competition "Unisa" in Pretoria (South Africa).
• 1999. International Competition named after Ettore Pozzoli (Seregno, Italy).
• 1999. International Competition in Beijing (China).
• 1999. International Competition named after Dino Chiani (Milan, Italy).
• 2000. International competition in Pinerolo (Italy).
• 2000. International competition in Cantu (Italy).
• 2000. International competition in Hamamatsu (Japan).
• 2001. International Competition in Morocco (Casablanca, Morocco).
• 2001. International Competition named after Van Cliburn (Fort Worth, Texas, USA).
• 2017. Honorary Medal of Ellis Island (USA) ^[10] .

• 2012 - Rachmaninoff: Sonata for cello and piano (with Saul Gabetta cello). SONY Classical
• 2011 - Renee Fleming and Dmitry Hvorostovsky "Musical Odyssey in St. Petersburg. Decca DVD
• 2010 - Chopin: Sonatas # 2 and 3. Harmonia Mundi
• 2010 - “They Came to Play.” DVD documentary
• 2007 - Brahms: Variations opus 21,24,35. Harmonia mundi
• 2006 - Rachmaninoff: Transcriptions, Variations on the theme of Corelli. Harmonia mundi
• 2006 - Chopin: Concert # 1. for piano. Harmonia mundi
• 2005 - Rachmaninoff: Sonata # 2, Balakirev: "Islam". Harmonia mundi
• 2003 - Tchaikovsky: Concert # 1 for piano. Harmonia mundi
• 2001 - Gold Medal: International Piano Competition. Van Cliburn Harmonia Mundi
• 2001 - "The Cliburn Competition - A Game on the Edge." Docum. film by Peter Rosen. Peter Rosen Production. DVD

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