Ilya Poletaev

Hailed as “one of the most significant pianists of his generation” Ilya Poletaev won First Prize at the prestigious International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig, Grand Prize at the Concorso Sala Gallo in Italy, and was a top prize-winner at the SEHKS harpsichord competition and George Enescu Competition in Bucharest. He has performed across Canada, USA, Europe, and Russia, in venues such as Leipzig Gewandhaus, KlavierFestival Ruhr, Dresdner MusikFesttäge, Potsdam Musikfestspiele, Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Leipzig BachFest, Montreal Bach Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Caramoor Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Carnegie Hall, and the Pierpont Morgan Library. He has appeared with the Toronto Symphony, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Samara Philharmonic (Russia), Sinfonia Toronto, and Orchestra Filarmonica di Cluj (Romania). Mr Poletaev is equally at home on modern or historical keyboards such as harpsichord, fortepiano, and chamber organ. He is also active as an improviser for silent films and appeared at Le Giornate del Cinema Muto, the world’s pre-eminent silent film festival in Italy. Originally from Moscow, Poletaev moved to Israel and then Canada at the age of 14. Ilya Poletaev teaches at McGill University and resides in Montreal with his wife and two sons.