Igor Pikayzen is a Russian-American violinist, born in Moscow on November 16, 1987. He grew up in a musical family and began studying violin at age five with his grandfather, violinist Victor Pikayzen. At eight, he made his concert debut performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 2. By age 12, he was performing with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Ankara Philharmonic, and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra.
In 1999, Pikayzen moved to the United States and studied at the Manhattan School of Music with Keng-Yuen Tseng. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School and a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music. Since 2012, he has appeared as a soloist with major orchestras in Europe, Asia, and North and South America, including at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Cadogan Hall, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, and the Sendai Concert Hall. His performances with national symphony orchestras have taken him to Russia, Japan, Canada, Taiwan, Turkey, Mexico, Poland, Italy, Romania, Chile, Georgia, and the United States.
Pikayzen has recorded music by Paganini, Ysaÿe, Tchaikovsky, Marto, Debussy, Brahms, Elliott Carter, and Saint-Saëns for Naxos, Pentatone, ProMusica, Orchid Classics, and Warner Music. A debut recording for Warner Music Korea with the London Philharmonic Orchestra was announced for 2023, with Glazunov’s Violin Concerto and the original version of Tchaikovsky’s Valse-Scherzo listed for inclusion. He is a professor of violin at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver and artistic director of the Edelioref Festival in Westport, Connecticut. His competition awards include second prize at the 2008 Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition, first prize at the 2009 Tadeusz Wronski International Competition, second prize at the 2013 Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition, and first prize at the 2015 Luis Sigall International Violin Competition in Viña del Mar.
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