Praised by the legendary Martha Argerich as "one of the best young musicians I ever heard in my life", the Italian pianist Irene Russo (1974) appeared on the big international stages like one of the most interesting talents of her generation.
Among her teachers: Lazar Berman ("She's one of my best students") at the International Piano Academy "Incontri col Maestro" in Imola and Alicia de Larrocha ("El recuerdo que nos deja es fabuloso") in Barcelona.
In 2000 Irene Russo won the Clara Schumann International Piano Competition in Düsseldorf, where she was particularly praised by the Jury: Joachim Kaiser ("She reminds me of a young Kempff"), Nelson Freire, Maria Tipo and Martha Argerich ("Mademoiselle Russo à toute mon admiration") among others.
Ms. Russo is also Prize Winner of the 2002 ARD International Piano Competition in Munich, where she received the Special Prize for the Best Interpretation of the Contemporary Music. Living composers, among which Jörg Widmann, have written works especially for her.
In 2003, Irene Russo was awarded with a Mention of Honour at the Martha Argerich International Piano Competition.
In recent seasons Ms. Russo has been invited to perform in prestigious Festivals, including: Schloss-Elmau, Robert Schumann Festival, La Roque d’Antheron, Festival International de Marseille, Beethoven Klavier Festival, Heidelberg Spring Music Festival, Festival van Vlaanderen, Musica Viva Festival, Eclat Neue Musik, Bergen International Contemporary Music Festival, Klavier Festival Freiburg, Festival Ten Holt and LekArt Festival.
In Germany, where Ms. Russo is in much demand of concerts, concerts venues have included: Bonn Beethovenhalle, Düsseldorf Tonhalle, Munich Herkulessaal, deGasteig and Prinzregententheatre, Nürnberg Meistersingerhalle, Hamburg Musikhalle, Stuttgart Theaterhaus, Bremen dieGlocke, Hannover Theater am Aegi, etc.
Her international career started in 1993 in Sydney. Since then Ms. Russo has played extensively through all Europe, United States, Canada, Latin America and Middle-East; she has performed in important concert venues including: Steinway Hall New York, Auditorium Verdi Milan, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Palais des Beaux-Arts Bruxelles, Beurs van Berlage and Concertgebouw (Spiegel Zaal) Amsterdam, Teatro Comunale Bologna, Zilkha Hall Houston, Arthur Rubinstein Society Tel Aviv, Palau de la Musica Valencia, Teatro Municipal Lisbon, Jack Singer Hall Calgary, Queen Elizabeth Hall and deSingel Antwerp, Teatro San Carlo Naples, Cleveland, Madrid, Paris, Zurich, Barcelona, etc.
Irene Russo has appeared as guest soloist with leading orchestras, among which: Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, deFilharmonie van Vlaanderen, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica del Teatro San Carlo, Kiev Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra da Camera di Mantova, Klassische Philharmonie, Houston OrchestraX, Orchestra da Camera della Toscana, Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, Craiova Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with conductors such as U. Benedetti Michelangeli, M. Andreae, M. Damev, O. Balan, F. Mastrangelo, H. Beissel, A. Liebreich, M. Tilkin, S. Maalki, J. Axelrod, D. Stern.
Her discography includes CD's for Brilliant Classics and Oehms Classics, DVD for WERGO as well as live recordings on: Italian Television RAI, Radio 3 Belgium, CBC Canada, SWR, NDR, ARD, Bayerischer Rundfunk, ZDF, D-Radio Berlin, North-American KUHF, France Musique, Radio 4 Holland.
Passionate chamber musician, Ms. Russo has collaborated with: Jörg Widmann, Valerie Guillorit, Gabriele Cassone, Frank Reinecke, David Adorjan, Carolin Widmann, Genevieve Strosser, Zoltan Kovacs and Nadja Helble among others.
Dedicated teacher, she was on faculty at the "U. Giordano" Conservatory from 2002 to 2006 and currently she is a very sought-after teacher at the "A. Steffani" Conservatory in Venice. Ms. Russo is regularly invited to take part in the jury of international piano competitions and to give Master Classes and Lectures.
Upcoming season 07/08 include a coming-back tour with Klassische Philharmonie Orchester (Brahms n.2), debut in Berlin Konzerthaus and Stuttgart Liederhalle, debut in Japan and concerts in Italy.
Ms. Russo currently resides in Antwerp, Belgium.
