Artist Bio

Russian-born pianist Kirill Gerstein is the sixth recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award.  From his early studies in jazz to performing at the classical music world’s most prestigious venues, Mr. Gerstein is one of today’s most intriguing young musicians.
 
Mr. Gerstein taught himself to play jazz by listening to his parents’ extensive record collection. At 14 he moved to the U.S. to continue his studies in jazz piano as the youngest student ever to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Following two summers with Boston University’s Young Artist Program, Mr. Gerstein chose to focus on classical piano at New York City’s Manhattan School of Music. He earned both his Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees there by the age of 20 and returned to Europe to continue his studies in Madrid and Budapest. In 2002, Mr. Gerstein was named a Gilmore Young Artist. Now an American citizen, Mr. Gerstein divides his time between the United States and Germany, where he has been a professor of piano at the Musikhochschule in Stuttgart since 2006.

At 30 years old, Mr. Gerstein has performed in recital and with esteemed orchestras and conductors throughout the world. In addition to appearances at the Gilmore Festival this spring, Mr. Gerstein’s upcoming North American engagements include debuts with the Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, St. Louis and Milwaukee symphonies, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Cleveland Orchestra.