Sophia Agranovich - Biography

Sophia Agranovich is an esteemed concert pianist, recording artist and music educator, performing as a soloist and chamber musician internationally as well as in the United States. She is highly regarded for her poetic and philosophical interpretations, extraordinary power and virtuosity, fiery passion, beautiful tone and mesmerizing expressivity. 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. Ms. Agranovich has collaborated with such internationally-renowned musicians as Mark Peskanov, Shlomo Mintz, Christopher Collins Lee, Alexander Mishnaevsky, Gregory Singer, Anatole Wieck and Kathleen Supove.

In the words of the distinguished composer David Diamond, Sophia Agranovich “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”.

Jerry Dubins of Fanfare Magazine raves: "Sophia Agranovich’s alchemy of mind-bending technical prowess and heart-melting emotional expressivity add up to one of the most glorious piano recitals this side of Elysium. Urgently recommended."

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 full 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 professor Nadia Reisenberg, a disciple of the St. Petersburg piano school of Leonid Nikolaev and student of Josef 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. At the same time she won First prize in Piano in the Bergen Philharmonic Competition.

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 passionate and sought-after pedagogue. She 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, have performed at prestigious venues and became professional musicians. 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 affiliated with the Music Teachers National Association, active member of National Association for Music Education, Leschetizky Association, College Music Society, and is listed in the Private Teachers directory of the Juilliard School.