Acclaimed for his profound sense of poetry and distinctive style, Sandro Russo has been in great demand as a soloist in many venues around the world. He unanimously receives accolades for his sparkling virtuosity, and his playing has often been referred to as a throwback to the grand tradition of elegant pianism and beautiful sound.
Born in San Giovanni Gemini – Sicily, Mr. Russo displayed exceptional musical talent from an early age. In 1995, he graduated summa cum laude from the V. Bellini Conservatory, and earned the Pianoforte Performing Diploma from the Royal College of Music in London ‘with honors’. While still a student, he won top prize awards in numerous national and international competitions, including Senigallia, and the Ibla Grand Prize. As a result, he was invited to perform in some of the country’s most prestigious concert halls.
Soon after Mr. Russo came to the United States in 2000, he won the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, and performed Liszt’s A major Concerto with Maestro David Gilbert. Early in 2002, Mr. Russo gave an acclaimed Chopin recital at the prestigious Politeama Theatre in Palermo, Italy, and later appeared at the Nuove Carriere Music Festival, an international showcase for the world’s most promising young musicians.
Highlights of past seasons include solo recitals for The Rachmaninoff Society in London, Memphis, and New York, the “Homage to Cziffra” Festival in NYC, and he has also performed at the Salle Cortot in Paris and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. More recently Mr. Russo has been heard in concert at Carnegie Hall, the Italian Institute of Culture in NYC, the Moiseiwitsch Recital Series at the Music Festival of the Hamptons, and the Yamaha Piano Salon, in a recital presented by the American Liszt Society – New York Chapter.
Mr. Russo has performed as a soloist with the Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava, The Jacksonville Symphony in Florida, the Brussels Chamber Orchestra at the opening gala of The Music Festival of the Hamptons (2008), and in July 2008 he had a triumphal return to his homeland of Sicily, giving three outdoor performances of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto on a tour with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana. He has also been a featured soloist with the New York Asian Symphony during their Japan tour in June ‘09.
This past January Bechstein-America invited him to record a DVD on the historical Bechstein 1862 piano (no. 576) which belonged to Franz Liszt. The DVD will be released in June 2009. This coming summer Mr. Russo will appear in recital at the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and Chetham’s International Festival in Manchester, U.K., where he has also been invited join their distinguished piano faculty.
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