Pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski: Shimmering Personality and Gleaming Artistry

Go to Konstantin Soukhovetski’s Facebook profile and you‘ll learn that this concert pianist has a Bachelor of Music and a Masters degree, as well as an Artist Diploma from the distinguished Juilliard School in New York City.

But when you meet Konstantin in person, you’ll soon find out that his talents and activities are far from being limited to the piano. It almost looks like the charming and distinctly unconventional 29-year-old is seeking to complement the gravity of his music making with experiences that bring some lightness of being into his reality. And more than that — everything he touches seems to provide a deeper aesthetic experience for him.

His wide range of artistic endeavors suggests that he would rather venture into almost anything creative and self-expressive than live a life devoid of passion. There is his keen eye for the visual, which shows in the very professional fashion photos he has taken of his sister, with whom he has modeled at times.

He also photographed his revered Juilliard piano teacher Jerome Lowenthal for Lowenthal’s CD cover, and has created all photos for the international record review of his friend, pianist Vassily Primakov.
A look at Konstantin’s flamboyant outfits makes it obvious that he does not only enjoy making others look good, but cherishes experimenting with a bit of glamour himself. No matter if he goes all out for a special occasion, or only accessorizes a well-tailored but subtle suit — his impeccable style always stands out.

Had I not heard Konstantin’s intense rendition of Mozart’s D-Minor concerto a few years ago, I could have easily taken him for a Project Runway contestant when I recently met with him at a restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

So it came as no surprise to me when I learned he had also studied theater arts as part of his Moscow education.

“The grownup actors adopted me and wanted to lure me into the world of the theater, which I enjoyed,” Konstantin explained. “I was impressed by the experience of performing with an all-star cast.”

Considering the fact that both his parents and his sister are active as painters, and that he has been playing the piano since a very young age, his upbringing and education in Russia add up to a very well-rounded training in an environment conducive to artistic imagination and achievement on different levels.

Article Author: Ilona Oltuski

Ilona Oltuski was born in Germany, where she studied art history and published her doctorate about the Bezalel art movement. She discovered her penchant for writing again much later, through another interest of hers, the piano. …

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