Pianist, conductor, laureate of international competitions, teacher at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, member of the Civic Chamber of the Moscow Region

Sergei Safronov started his music education at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory’s Central Music School, where his teachers were Polina Fedotova, Yuri Didenko and the legendary professor Viktor Merzhanov. Later, he graduated from Russia’s Gnessins Academy of Music as a pianist (with academic honors), where his teachers were professors Alexander Alexandrov and Vladimir Tropp. He also completed two postgraduate programs at the same institution, specializing in concert piano performance and the art of accompaniment. Then he successfully studied at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory under the guidance of Professor Zinaida Ignatieva. During his postgraduate studies, he completed and defended his final paper “Epic Idioms in Contemporary Composers’ Piano Oeuvre.” He also studied symphony orchestra conducting under the guidance of the professors Vladimir Pon'kin and Igor Dronov.

In 2015, he made his conducting debut in the Moscow Conservatory Great Hall, accompanying the renowned tenor Zurab Sotkilava. Sergei Safronov is a laureate of several international competitions, as well as both a fellow and participant of master classes sponsored by the New Names Foundation. Currently, he teaches piano at the Moscow Conservatory. Many of his students are laureates of various competitions worldwide. The musician has also participated in various international conferences and festivals, sharing his knowledge and expertise with colleagues. He performs solo programs in numerous philharmonic concert halls both in Russia and abroad. He has been an active participant of such international festivals of contemporary music as Moscow Autumn and Winter Way. He has also taken part in concerts at various summits. He has spoken on behalf of Russia’s Presidential Administration at receptions in the Grand Kremlin Palace and the St. George Hall of the Kremlin.

Jury membership: A jury member in one national and two international competitions (2018–2021).

Feedback:
“Sergei Safronov’s performance is featured with many expressive nuances, touching the hearts of his listeners.” (Viktor Merzhanov)
“Sergei is a bright pianist enjoying wide repertoire.” (Vladimir Tropp)

Work experience:

Since 2017: teacher at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory
Obligations include: concert activities, conducting class concerts, master classes; participation in the juries of music competitions, festivals, etc.; preparing curricula and individual (practical) lesson plans; writing monographs and scholarly articles; speaking at conferences, symposia, round tables and presentations

2014–2017: Assistant Conductor of the Moscow Conservatory Opera House
Obligations include rehearsing the following operas with the soloists and the symphony orchestra: G. Verdi’s La Traviata, G. Puccini’s La Boheme & Gianni Schicchi, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tsar’s Bride, S. V. Rachmaninoff’s Aleko, P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta & Eugene Onegin.

Prizes in the Contests:
The International Competition of Young Performers in Jyväskylä (Finland): First Prize in two categories
The Maria Yudina International Competition in St. Petersburg (Russia): First Prize in the Solo Piano category
The Sergei Rachmaninoff International Competition in Moscow: Special Prize
Winner of the competition-award “Our Moscow Region” in the City of Krasnogorsk
The Fourth Music Competition in Vienna: Musikverein and Mozarteum (diploma)

Awards:

• • An Anniversary Medal of the Moscow Region
• • Diploma of Russia’s Presidential Administration “For high performing skills and professionalism”
• • Medal “The Fifty Years of Russia’s Public Organization of War Veterans and Military Service”
• • Letter of the Moscow Region Government
• • Diploma of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of South Ossetia “For Performing Skills and the Development of Cultural Ties between the Republic of South Ossetia and the Russian Federation”