Sophia Agranovich - Biography

Sophia Agranovich, in the words of the distinguished composer David Diamond, “is a musician of splendid gifts... As a pianist of remarkable technical accomplishments, she is also one of the more sensitive artists who brings to her performances a percipiency and sensibility all too rare among her contemporaries. The over-all musicianship, her knowledge of a composer’s intentions aids her in bringing to all her performances that kind of intelligence one should demand of all first-rate pianists, but who, in many cases, concentrate most of their efforts on the sheer virtuosity of their impeccable techniques. She is a singular artist and should be admired for that rare quality alone”.

A native of Ukraine, Sophia Agranovich won the All-Ukrainian Young Artists Competition at ten, being the youngest participant. Many of her concert appearances were broadcasted nationwide. Her teachers included Anna Stolarevich and renowned professor Alexander Edelman, peers of Vladimir Horowitz at the Kiev Conservatory in the class of Felix Blumenfeld.

At fifteen, Ms. Agranovich immigrated to the USA and entered the Juilliard School in New York City as a scholarship student of legendary professor Sascha Gorodnitzki, who himself was a student of Josef Lhevinne (peer of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Alexander Scriabin).While at Juilliard, she also studied with the eminent Nadia Reisenberg, a disciple of the St. Petersburg piano school of Leonid Nikolaev and student ofJosef Hofmann and Alexander Lambert - student of Franz Liszt, as well as with David Diamond and Joseph Bloch in Musicology, Felix Galimir,Dorothy DeLay,Paul Doktor, and Samuel Sanders in Chamber music and Ensemble.

Sophia earned her Bachelor and Master Degrees from the Juilliard School while holding a Fellowship teaching Piano Minor at Juilliard, and later joined the faculty of the Town House International Music School in New York City.

After graduating Juilliard, Sophia began working towards her Doctorate in Music Education at the Columbia University Teachers College, but deferred that pursuit to raise a family.

Sophia Agranovich is a first prize-winner of the Bergen Philharmonic Competition and has performed as a soloist, chamber musician and collaborative pianist internationally as well as in the United States. Among her venues are Lincoln Center, Kaufmann Concert Hall, Steinway Hall, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Bargemusic, all in New York City, Salle Cortot in Paris, Rubin Academy of Music in Tel-Aviv, Brandeis-Bardin University in California, Watchung Arts Center in New Jersey, Kiev Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music and Lvov State Conservatory in Ukraine.

Sophia Agranovich conducts master classes and lectures, adjudicates competitions and recitals and maintains a private teaching practice. Her students have won awards in various competitions and festivals and have performed at esteemed venues. She is the Artistic Director of ‘Classicals at the Circle’music series at the Watchung Arts Center in New Jersey, Program Chair of Music Educators Association of New Jersey, board member of NJMTA - affiliation of the Music Teachers National Association, member of National Association for Music Education, Leschetizky Association, College Music Society, and Private Teachers directory of the Juilliard School.