Moses Yakovlevich Khalfin was a Soviet pianist and music educator. He was born in Poltava on August 11, 1907, and died in Leningrad in 1990.
He studied with Sergei Savshinsky at the St. Petersburg Conservatory and later became Savshinsky’s assistant. Khalfin won first prize at the Ukrainian pianists’ competition in 1930 and second prize at the All-Union Performers’ Competition in 1933, where Emil Gilels won first prize.
Khalfin became an associate professor at the Leningrad Conservatory in 1940 and a professor in 1947. He performed as a soloist, in ensembles, and with symphony orchestras. For many years, he gave the first performances of works by Leningrad composers.