Tbilisi International Piano Festival 2026: Alexei Volodin & Edith Peña

Renowned for his refined tone and exceptional technical mastery, Alexei Volodin is one of the most sought-after pianists of his generation. His remarkably diverse repertoire has taken him to some of the world's leading concert halls, including Konzerthaus Vienna, Palau de la Música Catalana, Philharmonie de Paris, Alte Oper Frankfurt, and Auditorio Nacional de Música.

Volodin studied at the Gnessin Academy and later at the Moscow Conservatory under Eliso Virsaladze. He continued his artistic development at the International Piano Academy Lake Como and gained worldwide recognition after winning the Géza Anda International Piano Competition in Zurich in 2003. He is an exclusive artist of Steinway & Sons.

Edith Peña received a nomination for the Latin Grammy Awards in 2016 for her album Danzas en todos los Tiempos, a musical journey through dance forms from the Baroque era to the present day.

She regularly performs with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and appears as a soloist throughout Europe, North America, and Latin America.

Born in Caracas, Peña made her orchestral debut at the age of eight with the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra before moving to Philadelphia, where she studied with Susan Starr and later with Sergei Babayan in Cleveland.

The duo returns to the Tbilisi International Piano Festival for a second joint appearance, presenting a program featuring works by Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Rachmaninoff.

A highlight of the evening is the music of Franz Schubert for piano four hands, including the celebrated Fantasy in F Minor, D. 940, often regarded as one of the greatest masterpieces written for this format, and Lebensstürme ("Storms of Life"), D. 947, another late Schubert masterpiece.

Program

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

• Fantasy in F Minor, D. 940

Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)

• Andante and Brilliant Allegro, Op. 92

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

• Lebensstürme, Allegro in A Minor, D. 947

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)

• Six Pieces, Op. 11

🔞 Age Restriction: 6+