First International Piano Competition

The 1st International Piano Competition, aimed at bringing talented young pianists on to a common platform is all set to begin on the beautiful island of Santorini. A better setting could not have been provided for this competition, organized by The Muse, an association which aims at promoting culture, art as well as friendship. Begun by the Miroshnikov Piano Duo, The Muse is a hearty endeavor that has been bringing talented artists and music lovers together since the founders, the husband and wife duo of Aleksei and Natalia Miroshnikov shifted to Greece, in 1991. The Miroshnikovs are no strangers to the world of music, and in fact are quite well known for their talented compositions and productions. Having taught many pupils, the number of successful graduates they have produced is an outstanding achievement. Not just music education, the Miroshnikovs have also written Dictionary of Music Terms and also Pianist's Technique, both of which have been published in Greek in the years 2000 and 2001 respectively. Individually also the husband and wife team have a stream of achievements to their name. Aleksei Miroshnikov, who was born in Georgia, studied piano as well the harpsichord at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. He then became a piano professor at the Musical Academy of Kishinev, Moldavia. Natalia Miroshnikov on the other hand was born in Kishinev and was a student at the Special Music School, belonging to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, at the young age of 11. The competition in Santorini, will be judged by a jury consisting of Sergey Usanov from Russia, Jed Gaylis from USA, Maria Kanatsouli from Greece, Chantal Stigliani from France and Aleksei Miroshnikov. Participants are attending from all over the world, and some of the countries are France, Greece, Japan, Italy, Korea, USA, China and Armenia.