Internationally acclaimed pianist and Yamaha Artist Nikita Fitenko has performed recitals and with orchestras in the former Soviet Union, Europe, Asia, and South and North America. He has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as St. Petersburg Capella Symphony, Russian Chamber Philharmonic, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow, St. Petersburg State Conservatory Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra, Slovak National Philharmonic, Corvallis Symphony Orchestra, Lewisville Symphony, Rapides Symphony, and Northwestern Symphony Orchestra among others.

 

While performing a wide and diverse repertoire, Nikita Fitenko is an acknowledged master of Russian piano music. His CDs for Altarus Records of complete piano works by leading contemporary Russian composers Georgy Sviridov and Sergei Slonimsky have garnered rave reviews from the international music press. Fanfare Music Review wrote, "Fitenko plays magnificently!" Slonimsky himself described Fitenko's interpretation of his piano music as "outstanding." He also added, "It is very vivid, imaginative, virtuosic, fascinating, and pianistically brilliant." Mr. Fitenko's recording of Scriabin's Piano Concerto with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow was released internationally on Classical Records label. His latest recordings of works by Bach, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, and Rachmaninov as well as 'All Tchaikovsky CD' for Classical Records were released in 2015 & 2017 (all recordings are available through Amazon & iTunes).

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In addition to solo recitals, Nikita Fitenko performs extensively in piano duo with Katerina Zaitseva. Hailed by critics for their "superlative sound, superlative interpretation, and superlative pianism…", the duo has performed worldwide with most recent appearances at the Moscow State Conservatory Hall (Russia), Madeira Music Festival (Portugal), Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage (Washington, D.C.), Yamaha Hall (NYC), Piano Duo Series (Tokyo, Japan), Nancyphonies Music Festival (France), University of Florida Young Pianists Festival, and Berkeley University (California, USA). Their critically acclaimed CD featuring works for piano four hands by Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms has been released internationally by the Classical Records label and is available through Amazon & iTunes.

Native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Nikita Fitenko graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory with a citation for excellence given to only five other graduates in the last fifty years. After receiving the Anton Rubinstein Memorial Award, he came to study to the US pursuing his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of North Texas. His principal teachers included Roman Lebedev, Igor Lebedev, and Joseph Banowetz.

 

Dr. Fitenko has been invited to serve on many international piano competition juries, including 2015 & 2018 Campillos International Piano Competition (Malaga, Span), 2013 Schubert International Piano Competition (San Cristoforo, Italy), 2012 Nordic International Piano Competition (Malmo, Sweden), 2011 Chopin International Piano Competition (Hartford, CT), 2010 & 2018 Scriabin International Piano Competitions (Grosetto, Italy), 2009 American Pianists Association's Classical Fellowship Awards (Indianapolis, IN), 2008 Rachmaninov International Piano Competition (Moscow, Russia), and 2003 World International Piano Competition (Cincinnati, OH) among others. He has presented master classes at the Verdi Conservatory of Music (Turin, Italy), Hochschule fur Musik (Saarbruken and Cologne, Germany), Tokyo College of Music, Jose Iturbi Conservatory of Music (Valencia, Spain), Estonian Academy of Music (Tallinn, Estonia), Korean National, Yeonsei, Hanyang, Sejong, ChungAng Universities (South Korea), Sichuan Conservatory, Xinghai Conservatory, Jinan University, Changchun University, Hangzhou University (China), as well as at the 2010 Convention of the Maryland State Music Teachers Association, and 2009 Chinese-American International Piano Institute (Chengdu, China). Among his students are winners of national and international competitions including the National MTNA Competition.

 

Currently, Dr. Fitenko holds a position of Associate Professor of Piano at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Prior to that he was Associate Professor and Coordinator of Keyboard Area at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He is also the Artistic Director of the American International Piano Festival & Competition (www.aipfc.us) and the Washington International Piano Festival (www.washingtonpianofest.com). Dr. Fitenko is also the founder of the Louisiana International and Florida International Piano Competitions.