Igor Levit born 1987 in Gorky, now Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod , colloquially shortened to Nizhny, is, with the population of 1,250,615, the fifth largest city in Russia, ranking after Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Yekaterinburg...

) is a Russian-German pianist.

Levit began playing piano at age three, and as a child he had his first successes on the concert stage in his hometown of Nizhny Novgorod. His family moved to Hanover

Hanover

Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

 in 1995. From 1999-2000 he studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

 with Hans Leygraf and from 2000-2010 at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover

Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover

Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover is an artistic-scientific university in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany. It dates back to 1897. From 1962 until 2010 it was named Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover , short: Musikhochschule Hannover...

 with Karl-Heinz Kammerling

Karl-Heinz Kämmerling

Karl-Heinz Kämmerling is a notable German academic teacher of classical pianists, who prepared at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover pianists for a career as performers and academic teachers, particularly in the early training of highly gifted...

, Matti Raekallio

Matti Raekallio

Matti Raekallio is a Finnish pianist.He has performed in Europe, the U.S. and Asia, having debuted at the Carnegie Recital Hall in 1980...

 and Bernd Goetzke.

Levite has appeared in major concert halls and music festivals in the world. Already during his studies Levit won several international awards, amongst them Second Prize, International Maria Callas Grand Prix, Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 (2004), First Prize, International Piano Academy Competition in Hamamatsu (2004), silver medal and three other awards at Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition

Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition

The Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition is an international piano competition specializing in the music of Arthur Rubenstein, The 13th annual competition was held in May 2011 in Tel Aviv, Israel....

 in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...

(2005) and the Luitpold Prize for young artists in Bad Kissingen

Bad Kissingen

Bad Kissingen is a spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and is the seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is a world-famous health resort.- Town structure :...

 (2009). In October 2011 he appeared in a 45-minute documentary aired on 3sat

3sat

3sat is the name of a public, advertising-free, television network in Central Europe. The programming is in German and is broadcast primarily within Germany, Austria and Switzerland .3sat was established for cultural...

 about his love for the music of Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...

.