Bio
” … attention is drawn to the orchestrality of Zaitsev'spianism, the clarity and sound. … Zaitsev's pianism is abundant, but thoughtfuland without exaggeration": writes Kikka Holmberg of the CulturalEditorial Office in the review of the debut album.
Aleksei Zaitsev is an award-winning pianist from North Karelia andone of the of the most promising Finnish musicians of his generation. He hasstudied piano under Irina Zahharenkova and at the Sibelius Academy withHui-Ying Liu- Tawaststjerna and Teppo Koivisto, graduating with a Master ofMusic degree in 2022. In the summer of 2024, Zaitsev completed his secondmaster's degree at the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences
At the Academy of Music under the guidance of Marianna Shirinyan. He has supplemented his studies byattending masterclasses with Klaus Hellwig, Jerome Lowenthal, Matti Raekallio,and Robert Levin.
Zaitsevhas been successful in several competitions, such as the Kuopio PianoCompetition (2nd Prize, 2011), the Tampere Piano Competition (2021, FinalistPrize and a Special Prize for the best interpretation of a work by A.Scriabin), and the Maj Lind Piano Competition (2022), where he was the onlyFinnish semifinalist and received wide acclaim for his intense and intelligentmusicianship. In the Vigo International Piano Competition in Spain (2023), hereached the final and received an Honorable Mention.
Zaitsevhas performed extensively as a soloist, chamber musician, and recital pianistin Finland, Europe, the United States, and Japan. He has collaborated withmusicians such as Marianna Shirinyan, Klaus Mäkelä, Daniel Rowland, MajaBogdanovic, and Maxim Vengerov. In 2023, he performed four-handed with OlliMustonen at the Klassiske Dage Festival in Denmark.
Festival performances include Piano Espoo (2023), Fejø Festival(2024), Stavanger International Piano Festival (2023–2025), Musica NovaHelsinki (2025), Mänttä Music Festival (2014) and Turku Music Festival (2019). Heperforms actively also in contemporary music in collaboration with ensemblessuch as Uusinta Ensemble, defunensemble, Avanti! and the ÄÄNI collective. Highlightsof 2024 included his debut as a soloist with the Joensuu City Orchestra conductedby conductor Jan Söderblom and a solo recital at the Helsinki Music Centre aspart of the The Young Artists of the Summer series. In March 2025, Alba Recordsreleased his debut album "From the Street", which has alreadyreceived a lot of rave reviews.
Aleksei Zaitsev's artistic work has been supported by the NiiloHelander Foundation, Jenny and The Antti Wihuri Foundation and the Paulo Foundation.
”Zaitsev’s playing is gripping. It’s intense musicianship and the level of skill is astonishing… Such a balance of emotion and intellect…”
YLE (Finnish broadcasting company)
"Zaitsev's debut album is a well-thought-out, high-quality ensemble."
Jari Hoffren 7.5.2025
"Liszt's majestically monumental Funérailles (Harmonies poétiques et religieuses) givesthen a taste of Zaitsev's virtuoso abilities. The famous horse-riding motif can be felt in the bonesand in the core. The whole thing is rich in other ways as well: there is orchestral power andstorytelling – the power of interpretation produces downright visual associations for the listener."
Jyri Ojala 5.5.2025
**
Aleksei Zaitsev From the Street album teaser (released in March 2025)
Written about:
Karjalainen: Aleksei Zaitsev demonstrates maturity in his recording
Alba Records: Aleksei Zaitsev From The Street
RDAM Soloist Competition Winner
Rondo Classic: Aleksei Zaitsev charmed with his solo program in the Maj Lind semi-finals
Helsingin Sanomat: Two Finns in the international Maj Lind competition
Videos
Shows
Kokkonen, Pärt ja Sibelius - Arvo Pärt 90 vuotta
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