Piano Festival VII Guest Artist Masterclass, Faina Lushtak
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
No Tickets Required, Free Event.
Faina Lushtak, Steinway Artist, Professor of Music, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Faina Lushtak was born and raised in the Soviet Union. A child prodigy, she began her piano and composition studies at the age of six. Following her early instruction under her mother, Genya Lushtak, Faina went on to study and graduate from the Stoliarsky School for Musically Gifted Children under the tutelage of Eleonora Levinson in Odessa, Ukraine. She continued her studies at the Moscow Tchaikowsky Conservatory, where she earned degrees in piano performance and composition under the apprenticeship of Genrietta Mirvis, Yakov Zak, and Tikhon Khrennikov. Subsequently, she became a faculty member at the Moscow Conservatory until emmigrating to the United States.
Since her debut at the age of ten, Ms. Lushtak’s performances have inspired audiences throughout Russia, Western Europe, Canada, and the United States. She has appeared as a guest artist with numerous symphony orchestras under the batons of noted conductors, including Klauspeter Seibel, William Henry Curry, Maxim Shostakovich, and Alfred Savia. She has also performed as a solo recitalist in major cities throughout the United States, including repeat performances at the Lincoln Center.
Faina Lushtak has had numerous invitations to appear as a guest artist and judge at international competitions and festivals, including the Nena Wideman Competition, the Gina Bachauer International Junior Competition, the Canadian National Music Competition, the Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition, the Cleveland International Piano Competition, and the New Orleans International Piano Competition. At the Bachauer Festival, The Salt Lake Tribune commented: “that two hours spent basking in her glorious music wasn’t enough.”
Currently Ms. Lushtak is a Downman Professor of Music at Tulane University. She also serves on the faculty of the Orfeo International Music Festival in Italy. Ms. Lushtak’s performance of works by Rachmanioff, Scraibin, and Chopin’s Mazurkas have been recorded on the Centaur label. Fanfare Magazine described her “vibrant, dynamic readings, delicate expressiveness and a dazzling virtuosity.” Ms. Lushtak’s compositions for piano have been published by Willis Music and Boosey & Hawkes, England. Faina Lushtak is a Steinway artist and this cd was recorded on her “old but beloved Steinway.” Faina Lushtak lives in New Orleans with her daughter, Ann, son-in-law, Eric, and her two grandchildren, Gabriel, and Talia.