Vladimir Krainev Piano   

Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Krainev, made his solo debut when he was seven, performing Haydn and Beethoven concertos with orchestra. He studied at the Central School of the Moscow Conservatory in the class of A.Sumbatian (V.Ashkenazi, O.Yablonskaya, and N.Akopian are among her students), and studied at the Moscow Conservatory in the classes of H.Neuhause, and his son, S.Neuhause.

Krainev's most important competition victories include Grand Prizes at the Leeds International Competition in 1962, the Lisbon International Competition in 1963, and the IV International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1979.

He has performed with the world's leading orchestras and conductors, and has collaborated with renowned artists throughout the world. Alfred Shnitke has dedicated one of his piano concertos to him. International music festivals known as "The Invitation of Vladimir Krainev" are performed each year in Ukraine, Kazakhistan, and Kirghizia, and concerts called "Vladimir Krainev: his Friends and Pupils" are given annually at the Moscow Conservatory. Krainev is a jury member of the international piano competitions in Leeds, Lisbon, and Tokyo, as well as the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

Vladimir Krainev is professor at the High School of Music and Theater in Hanover (Germany), where 29 young pianists from China, France, Germany, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, and other countries currently study with him; many are prizewinners of international piano competitions. In 1992, Krainev organized the first international competition of young pianists in Kharkov. The competition is broadcast on radio and television, and its participants have performed throughout Ukraine, Russia, the Baltic countries, Germany, France, Austria, Turkey, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, and the USA. Competition winners also perform annually at festivals in Colmar (France), and Augsburg and Braunschweig (Germany), as well as in the major halls in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In 1994, Krainev established the Vladimir Krainev International Fund for Young Pianists.

He presently lives in Hanover with his wife, Tatiana Tarasova, a renowned figure skating trainer who has taught the winners of eight Olympic gold medals.