Sophia Agranovich - Chopin: Piano Works (2020)

Internationally acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and educator, Sophia Agranovich is “a bold, daring pianist in the tradition of the Golden Age Romantics…A tigress of the keyboard” – Fanfare. Her performances are captivating audiences by the “orison of uncommon beauty” – Audiophile, “the extraordinary dramatic urgency”, “the ideal balance she achieves between the intellectual and the emotional” – Fanfare, “interpretation that dares to be different”, “magnificent shading and superior musicianship” – American Record Guide.

A Steinway Artist, Ms. Agranovich had performed in USA, Europe, Israel, and Canada. Among her venues are Avery Fisher Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium and Paul Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Roerich and Metropolitan museums, Steinway Hall, and Bargemusic, all in New York City, Salle Cortot in Paris, Ehrbarsaal in Vienna, Rubin Academy of Music in Tel-Aviv, Watchung Arts Center in New Jersey, Kiev Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music and Lvov State Conservatory. Ms. Agranovich has collaborated with such prominent musicians as Mark Peskanov, Shlomo Mintz, Christopher Collins Lee, Andrew Litton, Alexander Mishnaevsky, Gregory Singer, Anatole Wieck, Kathleen Supove, and members of the major orchestras.

Sophia Agranovich’s discography received outstanding reviews and includes “Romantic Virtuoso Masterpieces” (works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, Scriabin – 2010), “Franz Liszt – Bicentennial Tribute” (“Un Sospiro”, “La Campanella”, Rhapsodie Espagnole, Sonata in b minor – 2012), “Passion and Fantasy” (Beethoven: “Appassionata”, Chopin: Fantaisie and Sonata in b minor – 2014), Brahms-Paganini Variations books I and II, Schumann: Symphonic Etudes, Schumann-Liszt: “Widmung” – 2014, Schubert: ‘Wanderer’ Fantasie and Chopin: 4 Ballades – 2015, Schumann: Carnaval and Fantasie – 2016. Recently Ms. Agranovich was awarded a Gold Medal and four Silver Medals from Global Music Awards, two Gold Medals from Prestige Music Awards, Best Classical Solo from Akademia Music Awards, and Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Her recordings were broadcast in Brazil on Universidade FM 106.9 “Company of the Music”, in Canada on CKWR ‘Women in Music’, and in New York on WWFM ‘Piano Matters’ and WQXR ‘Reflections from the Keyboard’ with David Dubal.

A native of Ukraine, Sophia Agranovich won the Ukrainian Young Artists Competition at ten, being the youngest participant. At thirteen, she performed complete Concerto in E minor by Chopin in Chernovtsy, Lvov and Kiev. Her concerts were broadcasted on national TV and radio stations since she was six. Her teachers in Ukraine were professors Anna Stolarevich and Alexander Edelman, peers of Vladimir Horowitz at the Kiev Conservatory in the class of Felix Blumenfeld and later – disciples of Heinrich Neuhaus at the Moscow Conservatory. At fifteen, Ms. Agranovich entered the Juilliard School in New York City as a student of legendary professor Sascha Gorodnitzki, who himself was a student of Josef Lhevinne (peer of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Scriabin). While at Juilliard, she also studied with the eminent Nadia Reisenberg, a disciple of the St. Petersburg piano school of Leonid Nikolaev and student of Hofmann and Alexander Lambert – student of Franz Liszt. Ms. Agranovich earned Bachelor and Master Degrees from the Juilliard School, holding full scholarship and a Fellowship teaching Piano Minor at Juilliard, and won a First Prize in the Bergen Philharmonic Competition, and continued. After graduating Juilliard, Ms. Agranovich began working towards her Doctorate at the Columbia University, but deferred that pursuit to raise a family.

Sophia Agranovich is an esteemed pedagogue, lecturer, master class clinician, adjudicator, and is a recipient of numerous teaching awards. Her students are consistently winning top prizes in regional, national and international competitions and are performing at prestigious venues. Ms. Agranovich is active member of various professional music organizations, listed in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World, a voting member of NARAS, Artistic Director of ‘Classicals at the Circle’ music series at the Watchung Arts Center, Program Chair and Board member of Music Educators Association of New Jersey.