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Lera Auerbach

Russia

Conductor
Piano
Composer
Visual Artist

About

Russian pianist and composer Lera Auerbach began studying music under her mother’s tuition. A fast-learner, she quickly found her musical voice and wrote her first opera – which was performed in several theatres in the country – at the age of twelve. In 1991, she left Russia to settle in the United States where she studied piano with Joseph Kalichstein, and composition with Milton Babbit and Robert Beaser at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. Interested in all things cultural she also frequented the halls of Columbia University where she studied comparative literature science.

Lera Auerbach’s music seems at first to be rooted in the traditional music sphere, however, for her there is no contradiction between the use of tonality or classical forms and the search for new sound worlds. Attentive listeners will note that under the guise of a “classical” cloak lies a whole world of unusual, very colorful sonorities, which characterizes her personal music language.

Recognized by her peers, Lera Auerbach is the first Russian since Shostakovich to be published by the prestigious Sikorski house.

 


Artist's website