OLEG BEZBORODKO
Ukrainian composer and pianist Oleg Bezborodko was born in 1973 in Kyiv. Studying first piano at the Kyiv Glier Music College (class of Lina Telnikova), in 1998 he graduated with distinction from the Ukrainian National Academy of Music (piano class of Iya Pavlova) and continued his postgraduate education there. Since 1999 Mr. Bezborodko attended the Conservatoire de Neuchâtel (class of Sylviane Deferne) where in 2002 he obtained Prix de virtuosité avec distinction. Also he took lessons from such distinguished pianists as Paul Badura-Skoda, Norma Fisher, Charles Rosen, Joan Havill, Naoum Starkman, Halina Czerny-Stefańska and others.
After returning from abroad Mr. Bezborodko took up a teaching position as a piano professor at his Alma Mater - Ukrainian National Academy of Music. At the same time (a unique example in history of the institution) he entered its composition department to study with Gennady Lyashenko (composition) and Levko Kolodub (orchestration). Since then a significant part of pianist’s repertoire consists of works of modern Ukrainian authors (including premieres of opuses by Z.Almashi, V.Bibik, O.Grinberg, I.Karabits, V.Silvestrov, V.Hodziatsky, Yu.Ishchenko, V.Poleva, A.Shchetynsky, V.Silvestrov, Ye.Stankovych).
In 2020 Naxos Records released the premiere recording of the Piano Concertino by Valentin Silvestrov performed by Oleg Bezborodko with the Lithuanian National Orchestra conducted by Christopher Lyndon-Gee. The disk was acclaimed by many critics including nomination for International Classical Music Awards and being chosen as a disc of the week by Norman Lebrecht.
As a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician Mr. Bezborodko appeared throughout Ukraine, Switzerland, USA, England, France, Germany, Poland, Canada, Russia, Estonia and Cuba. His works have been performed in Ukraine, Australia, China, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Finland, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, USA, published in Germany, Great Britain, USA and Ukraine.
Among the performers of Mr. Bezborodko's music are ensemble musikFabrik, New Muse Piano Duo, Collegium string quartet, ensemble “Ricochet”, Ensemble Nostri Temporis, ensemble “Kiev-Sinfonietta”, Cvartet Passione, Kiev Piano Duo, violnists Dima Tkachenko, Loussine Azizian and Orest Smovzh, pianists Stephen Gutman, Roglit Ishay, Dmytro Choni and Timothy Hoft, mandolinist Elena Olenchyk, flutists Serhiy Vilka, Stanislav Zubytsky and Igor Yermak, sopranos Tamara Khodakova, Inna Galatenko and Olga Kulchitska, clarinetist Lisa Kachouee, bassoonists Mark Kreshchensky and Sebastian Stevensson, organist Nadiya Velychko, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Kyiv Chamber Orchestra, Kiev Philharmonic, Orchestra of National Opera of Ukraine, National Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra, Crimea Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, National Chamber Ensemble “KYIV SOLOISTS”, “Khreschatyk” Chamber Choir, National Асаdemic Symphonic Band of Ukraine, Donetsk Philharmonic, National Ensemble of soloists "Kiev Kamerata", Academic Pop Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Ukrainian Festival Orchestra and many others. Both as pianist and composer Mr. Bezborodko cooperated with such renowned conductors as Mykola Dyadyura, Hobart Earl, Kirill Karabits, Roman Kofman,
Bogodar Kotorovych, Mykola Lysenko, Valery Matyukhin, Ivan Ostapovych,
Erki Pehk, Nataliya Ponomarchuk, Vitaly Protasov, Viktoria Ratsyuk, Volodymyr Sheyko, Volodymyr Sirenko, Valentin Uryupin.
The list of Mr. Bezborodko’s achievements includes the Marusia Yaworska Scholarship from the Ottawa University, the Swiss Confederation Scholarship for Foreign Students, Prix de virtuosité avec distinction from the Conservatoire de Neuchâtel, diploma at the Lysenko Piano Compettion, prizes from the Joanna Hodges Piano Competition in Palm Springs, the Ludkewitch Music Competition in Toronto and the “Gradus ad Parnassum” Composition Competition in Kiev. In 2008 the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture awarded Mr. Bezborodko with the Levko Revutsky Composition Prize. Recently Mr. Bezborodko’s works have been selected through calls for scores by “New Muse Piano Duo” for their US universities tour and by the Florida State University New Music Festival. In 2017 Mr. Bezborodko was awarded the Mykola Lysenko Composition Prize. During season 2019-2020 Mr. Bezborodko served as a composer-in-residence at the National Odessa Philharmonic Orchestra.
Commissions include those from Goethe-Institut and Ernst fon Siemens Musikstiffung, Ukranian National Academic Concert Band, Musica Mundi Frankfurt, Tatjana Masurenko, Lviv Organ Hall and Ukranian Cultural Foundation
Mr. Bezborodko is a member of the National Ukrainian Union of Composers and of ASCAP. In 2010 he obtained a Ph.D. degree from the Ukrainian National Academy of Music and holds a post of full-time professor (piano classes and piano pedagogy) at the same institution.