Alexey Sokolov

Alexey Sokolov is the 1st prize and Grand Prix winner of the Yamaha Grand Prize International Piano Competition in Italy, Honorary Professor at Tianjin Conservatory, and recipient of the UNICEF Best Teacher Prize, the “Haihe Friendship” Tianjin City Award, and the “Award of Merit” from the Government of China for his cultural contributions. A graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Russia’s oldest music university, he began his teaching career at State Herzen Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg before being appointed as an official representative of the conservatory to China in 1999. Since then, Professor Sokolov has taught at Tianjin Conservatory, where he has trained over 40 international competition winners, including 12 first prize laureates at major events such as the Vladimir Horowitz International Piano Competition, Edward Grieg Royal Competition, Steinway Prize International Piano Competition, and the Asian Open International Piano Competition in Hong Kong.

Professor Sokolov has published research and articles on piano performance, focusing on Beethoven and Schubert sonatas, solo piano teaching, and accompanist training. He has performed extensively in major cities across Europe, Asia, and Russia, including Vienna’s Musikverein, St. Petersburg’s Grand Philharmonic Hall, and Beijing’s Poly Theatre. Since 2003, he has concentrated on pedagogy, serving as a jury member, chairman, and honorary jury member at numerous international competitions in Europe, Asia, and Russia, including the IBLA Grand Prize in Italy and Chopin competitions in Russia and China. He is a founder of the “Step to Mastery” International Piano Competition in St. Petersburg and a member of the European Piano Teachers Association.

Professor Sokolov offers master-classes in many cities of Europe every year. He takes part in music festivals in Italy, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Singapore. He collaborates with such renowned piano masters as Gary Graffman, Jerome Lowenthal, Pascal Roge, Viktor Tretyakov, Mikhail Voskresensky, Marcello Abbado, Pawel Gililov, Alexander Korsantia, Norma Fisher, Sergey Babayan, Arie Vardi, John Perry, Boris Slutsky, Barry Snyder. Prof. Sokolov’s students study at the most prestigious Universities of the World – Curtis Institute of music, Juilliard school, New England Conservatory, Eastman University of music, Cleveland Institute of music, New York University, Manhattan school of music, as well as at conservatories of Munich, Hannover, Vienna, Leipzig, Warsaw, Moscow, St. Petersburg and many others.