Russian-American violinist Igor Pikayzen joins Sinfonia Toronto and Music Director Nurhan Arman to launch the ensemble’s 27th season on September 27. The program features Dvořák, Mendelssohn, and Shostakovich.
“Our season opening concert focuses on three great composers in different stages of their careers. Mendelssohn must have been about 13 years old when he wrote his String Symphony No. 2. Dvořák composed his Serenade for Strings during a happy period in his life; at 34, he was already enjoying great success. Shostakovich was at the end of his career and in poor health when he wrote his extraordinary Violin Sonata Op. 134,” comments Maestro Arman in a statement.
It’s not just their careers that were in different places when they wrote the works on the program. In essence, the works mark the evolution of string composition over three different eras.
“These composers lived under strikingly contrasting conditions. In today’s terms Mendelssohn’s dad would be a billionaire; Dvořák’s talent pulled him out of his family’s poverty; and Shostakovich had to compose cautiously under the scrutiny of Soviet Russia’s “social realism” watchdogs. What they have in common is the universal appeal of their music. The three works on this concert resonate with their amazing creativity.”
Violinist Igor Pikayzen
Born in Moscow into a musical family (his grandfather was legendary Soviet violinist Viktor Pikayzen) Igor began playing the violin at the age of five. By the time he was eight, he’d performed in his first public concert, and at 12, he was appearing with the Moscow Radio Symphony and Moscow Chamber Orchestra, among other ensembles.
At 12, he relocated to the United States, where he continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music. He earned a BMus from The Juilliard Shcool, and went on to earn a Master’s and then an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music.
He’s appeared with prominent orchestras in Europe, North and South America, and Asia, including Carnegie Hall, Taipei Concert Hall, Toronto Arts Centre, National Palace of Arts in Mexico City, Teatro San Cugat in Barcelona, and Sendai Concert Hall in Japan, among others.
He launched and currently directs the Edelio summer music festival in Connecticut.
Pikayzen is also a recording artist, and has released the music of Ysaÿe, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Brahms, Elliott Carter, and others on a variety of labels. In 2024-25 he released a recording of Glazunov and Tchaikovsky with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Warner Music, and a CD of violin-piano fantasies with longtime collaborator Tatyana Pikayzen.
Igor is currently an Associate Professor of Violin at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.
The Concert
Sinfonia Toronto is celebrating their 27th season in 2025/26. The chamber orchestra has toured Europe, the US, South America and China, and released seven CDs, including a JUNO Award winner, in their long history. The ensemble performs major string orchestra works of the 18th through 21st centuries, including the premieres of many new works.
The program includes:
- Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 2 in D Major
- Shostakovich: Sonata for Violin, Percussion and Orchestra, Op. 134
- Dvořák: Serenade for Strings
The concert takes place at George Weston Recital Hall on September 27. More details and tickets [HERE].
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