With a vivid onstage presence, dazzling technique, and keen musicianship, pianist Olga Kern is widely recognized as one of the great artists of her generation, captivating audiences and critics alike. She was born into a family of musicians and began studying piano at the age of five. At seventeen, she was awarded first prize at the Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition, and in 2001, she launched her U.S. career, winning a historic Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition—the only woman in the last 50 years to do so.
A Steinway Artist, Olga is a laureate of several international competitions. In 2016 she was Jury Chairman of both Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the first Olga Kern International Piano Competition, where she also holds the title of Artistic Director. In December 2021, Olga was Jury Chairman of the 1st Chopin Animato International Piano competition in Paris, France. In coming seasons, she will continue to serve on the juries of several high-level competitions. Olga frequently gives masterclasses and since 2017 has served on the piano faculty of the Manhattan School of Music. Also in 2017, Olga received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (New York City). In 2019, she was appointed the Connie & Marc Jacobson Director of Chamber Music at the Virginia Arts Festival.
Olga has performed with many prominent orchestras, including the St. Louis Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), as well as Czech Philharmonic, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Pittsburgh Symphony, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. She was also a featured soloist on U.S. tours with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in 2018 and 2022, and during the 2017–2018 season, she served as Artist in Residence at the San Antonio Symphony. Highlights of the 2021–2022 season included performances with the Austin Symphony, Palm Beach Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Madison Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra, and Academia Teatro alla Scala. She appeared as a soloist on a U.S. tour with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine and performed recitals in Savannah, Sunriver, Huntsville, Fort Worth, Carmel, and Minneapolis as well as in Portugal, Poland, and Sweden. In the 2022–2023 season, she appeared with the Dallas Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Ireland’s National Symphony Orchestra, and Colorado Symphony. She performed recitals at the Minnesota Beethoven Festival and the International Piano Festival of Oeiras as well as in Brno and Mariánské Lázně, Czech Republic; Virginia Beach; Chicago; and San Francisco. In the 2023–2024 season, she performs Rachmaninoff’s four piano concertos and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Austin Symphony and with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, appears with the Czech Philharmonic on a nation-wide telecast, and tours South Africa and Asia.
In 2012, Olga established the Kern Foundation “Aspiration,” which supports talented musicians around the world.
Olga’s discography includes a Harmonia Mundi recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Christopher Seaman; her Grammy-nominated disc of Rachmaninoff’s Corelli Variations and other transcriptions; and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Antoni Wit. Other notable releases include Chopin’s Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3, and SONY’s release of the Rachmaninoff Sonata for Cello and Piano with Sol Gabetta. Olga released a new CD in 2022 on the Delos label of Brahms and Shostakovich quintets with the Dalí Quartet.
She is featured in award-winning documentaries about the 2001 Cliburn Competition: The Cliburn: Playing on the Edge, They Came to Play, and Olga’s Journey.
Olga’s iconic dresses are designed by Alex Teih (New York), and her jewelry is designed by Alex Soldier (New York).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sa živopisnom pojavnošću na pozornici, blistavom tehnikom i oštroumnim muziciranjem, pijanistica Olga Kern nadaleko je priznata kao jedna od velikih umjetnica svoje generacije, osvajajući publiku i kritiku podjednako. Rođena je u obitelji glazbenika i počela je učiti klavir s pet godina. Sa sedamnaest je dobila prvu nagradu na Međunarodnom pijanističkom natjecanju Rahmanjinov, a 2001. započela je svoju karijeru u SAD-u, osvojivši povijesnu zlatnu medalju na Međunarodnom pijanističkom natjecanju Van Cliburn – jedina žena kojoj je to pošlo za rukom u posljednjih 50 godina.
Steinway umjetnica, Olga je laureat nekoliko međunarodnih natjecanja. Godine 2016. bila je predsjednica žirija na Međunarodnom amaterskom pijanističkom natjecanju Cliburn i na prvom Međunarodnom pijanističkom natjecanju Olga Kern, gdje također ima titulu umjetničke direktorice. U prosincu 2021. Olga je bila predsjednica žirija 1. međunarodnog pijanističkog natjecanja Chopin Animato u Parizu, Francuska. U nadolazećim sezonama nastavit će sudjelovati u žirijima nekoliko natjecanja visoke razine. Olga često drži majstorske tečajeve, a od 2017. radi na klavirskom fakultetu Manhattan School of Music. Također 2017. Olga je primila Medalju časti Ellis Islanda (New York City). Godine 2019. imenovana je direktoricom komorne glazbe Connie & Marc Jacobson na Umjetničkom festivalu u Virginiji.
Olga je nastupala s mnogim istaknutim orkestrima, uključujući St. Louis Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Detroitski simfonijski orkestar i Nacionalni simfonijski orkestar (Washington, D.C.), kao i Češku filharmoniju, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Pittsburgh Symphony, São Paulo simfonijski orkestar, Islandski simfonijski orkestar, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Tokijski NHK simfonijski orkestar i Cape Town filharmonijski orkestar. Također je bila istaknuta solistica na turnejama po SAD-u s Kraljevskim filharmonijskim orkestrom i Kraljevskim škotskim nacionalnim orkestrom 2018. i 2022., a tijekom sezone 2017. – 2018. radila je kao rezidencijalna umjetnica u Simfonijskom orkestru San Antonija. Najvažniji događaji u sezoni 2021. – 2022. uključivali su nastupe sa Simfonijskim orkestrom iz Austina, Simfonijskim orkestrom Palm Beacha, Simfonijskim orkestrom Milwaukeeja, Simfonijskim orkestrom Santa Rosa, Greensboro Simfonijskim orkestrom, Simfonijskim orkestrom Madisona, Filharmonijom Novog Meksika, Simfonijskim orkestrom Concerto Budapest i Academia Teatro alla Scala. Nastupila je kao solistica na američkoj turneji s Nacionalnim simfonijskim orkestrom Ukrajine i izvodila recitale u Savani, Sunriveru, Huntsvilleu, Fort Worthu, Carmelu i Minneapolisu, kao i u Portugalu, Poljskoj i Švedskoj. U sezoni 2022.–2023. nastupila je sa Simfonijskim orkestrom Dallasa, Orkestrom Minnesote, Simfonijskim orkestrom Baltimorea, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, Irskim nacionalnim simfonijskim orkestrom i Simfonijskim orkestrom Colorada. Izvela je recitale na Beethovenovom festivalu u Minnesoti i Međunarodnom pijanističkom festivalu Oeiras te u Brnu i Mariánské Lázně, Češka; Virginia Beach; Chicago; i San Francisco. U sezoni 2023.–2024. izvodi Rahmanjinova četiri klavirska koncerta i Rapsodiju na Paganinijevu temu sa Simfonijskim orkestrom iz Austina i Simfonijskim orkestrom iz Virginije, pojavljuje se s Češkom filharmonijom u nacionalnom televizijskom prijenosu i obilazi Južnu Afriku i Aziju.
Olga je 2012. godine osnovala Zakladu Kern “Aspiration” koja podupire talentirane glazbenike diljem svijeta.
Olgina diskografija uključuje snimku Harmonije Mundi Klavirskog koncerta br. 1 Čajkovskog s Filharmonijskim orkestrom iz Rochestera i Christopherom Seamanom; njezin disk s Rachmaninoffovim Corellijevim varijacijama i drugim transkripcijama nominiran za Grammyja; i Chopinov klavirski koncert br. 1 s Varšavskom filharmonijom i Antonijem Witom. Ostala značajna izdanja uključuju Chopinove klavirske sonate br. 2 i 3 i SONY-jevo izdanje Rahmanjinovske sonate za violončelo i klavir sa Solom Gabettom. Olga je 2022. izdala novi CD za izdavačku kuću Delos kvinteta Brahmsa i Šostakoviča s Dalíjevim kvartetom.
Glumi u nagrađivanim dokumentarcima o natjecanju Cliburn iz 2001.: The Cliburn: Playing on the Edge, They Came to Play i Olga's Journey.
Olgine kultne haljine dizajnirao je Alex Teih (New York), a njezin nakit dizajnirao je Alex Soldier (New York).
