Vitaly Starikov

After Vitaly Starikov completed his studies at the Ural Special Music School in his native Yekaterinburg, his “dream came true” when he began studying with Vera Gornostayeva, one of the world’s most venerated teachers, at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. At that time, her student, Vadym Kholodenko, had just won the 2013 Cliburn Competition, which “greatly inspired” Vitaly: “and it was then that the thought was born to someday participate in this competition.” He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at the Conservatory and is now completing his master’s degree, under the tutelage of Eliso Virsaladze. He also credits his studies with Boris Petrushansky at the Accademia Internazionale di Imola “Incontri col Maestro” in Italy and masterclasses with Dmitry Bashkirov and Dmitry Alexeev for his musical development. Vitaly’s journey in music started when his parents enrolled him in a children’s music group at age 3, and went on to a school for talented children at 7. He made his concerto debut at age 10 with the Ural State Russian Folk Orchestra, and his recital debut three years later, in the small hall of the Ural Special Music School. It was at 14 that he committed his life to music, and has since performed with the Antwerp and Belgian National Orchestras, Belarusian State Symphony Orchestra, and St. Petersburg Symphony, and toured with the Orchestre national de Metz. Recital and chamber music appearances have taken him around the world, notably to Austria, Slovakia, Israel, Cyprus, Italy, France, Belgium, and Malaysia. He has won top prizes at nine international competitions, including a recent finals appearance in the 2021 Queen Elisabeth (fifth prize).