Biography —

Moscow-born concert pianist Andrey Gugnin is rapidly gaining international acclaim as a passionately virtuosic performer, who possesses an ‘extraordinarily versatile and agile technique, which serves an often inspired musical imagination’ (Gramophone). In 2020, the BBC Music Magazine Awards named Andrey the winner of the Instru- mental category for his recording of Shostakovich preludes and piano sonatas on Hyperion Records. Since winning the prestigious Sydney International Piano Competition in 2016, Andrey has gone from strength to strength in concerts and recordings which exhibit his impassioned interpretations.

In demand as a concert soloist, Andrey has been invited to perform as a guest artist with notable orchestras across the globe, such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Andrey has performed on some of the most prestigious stages in the world, including the Musikverein in Vienna, Konzerthaus Berlin, Victoria Hall in Geneva, Carnegie Hall in New York, Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Sydney Opera House, the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory, Mariinsky Concert Hall, the Louvre in Paris, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Andrey has also appeared at a number of international festivals, including the Verbier, Ruhr Piano, Mariinsky International, Dubrovnik Summer, Ohrid Summer and International Chopin festivals.

As a recording artist, Andrey has published a broad scope of repertoire, ranging from works for solo piano to concertos. His release of Liszt’s Transcendental Studies (Piano Classics, 2018) was Editor’s Choice in Gramophone. His recording of Shostakovich concertos (Delos International, 2007) was featured in the soundtrack of Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film Bridge of Spies.

In February 2024, Andrey won the ‘Classic Piano’ International Piano Competition awarding him a prize of €100,000 for his final performance of Rachmaninoff’s third piano concerto. Further winnings include future performances with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and the Armenian State Symphony.

Andrey took his first lessons with Natalia Smirnova, who laid the foundations for his studies with Olga Mechetina, Valery Kastelsky, Lev Naumov, Stanislav Ioudenitch, William Naboré and Vera Gornostayeva.