Svetlana Smolina was born in Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia. Ms. Smolina has performed at numerous festivals such as White Nights (St. Petersburg); Hollywood Bowl Festival (Los Angeles); Mikkeli Festival (Finland); Rotterdam Philips Gergiev Festival Holland, (recorded live on Philips/Decca); Edinburgh Festival (with a live BBC broadcast); Ravinia Festival Rising Stars (Chicago); Settimane Musicali di Stresa, Maggio Musicale in Florence and Festivale di Bologna (Italy); International Gilmore Keyboard Festival in Kalamazoo, Michigan; at Corfu and Samos Kalomiris Festivals (Greece); at Pittsburgh Symphony Rachmaninoff Festival, at Easter Festival under Maestro Valery Gergiev; at Vienna’s Sacher Hall, and at Hennessy Artists Series at Hanoi Opera House, Vietnam.

In  2004 Svetlana made her debut at Salzburg Festival and in December 2007, debuted at Carnegie Hall’s  “Gergiev’s Perspectives” Series in New York under Maestro Valery Gergiev.

Notable orchestral appearances include Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Odessa Philharmonic, Florida Philharmonic, New York Chamber Orchestra, Nizhny -Novgorod Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Corpus Christi and Shreveport Symphony.

Ms. Smolina’s also performed at NJPAC as part of Tchaikovsky Project with Joseph Horowitz and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra; at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre; at Royal Covent Garden Theater; Big Arts of Sanibel Island Series (FL); Kravis Center (West Palm Beach); Piano Rock Hotel Festival (New York City); at Strasbourg Philharmonic, Basel Stadtcasino; Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon; at J.S. Bach 250-year memorial celebration in Brussels under the auspices of the Yamaha Corporation; at Grand Artists Series at the New Opera House (Tel-Aviv) as well as in in Rome (Academia Santa Cecilia ), Teatro Massimo di Palermo (Italy); and  at Academia Santa Cecilia ( Rome, Italy).

In September 2005, her recording of Stravinsky “Les Noces” with Maestro Valery Gergiev was released by Decca/Phillips/ Netherland Radio and received outstanding critical acclaim.  In the spring of 2007, Ms. Smolina participated in Chopin project sponsored by University of Michigan.

In 2008 Svetlana played recital in Berlin with Vadim Repin for Deutsche Grammophone as well as played a direct Radio Broadcast on WQXR 96.3 in New York City.

            In 2009- 2010 season Svetlana will appear with New York Philharmonic under Maestro Gergiev at Stravinsky Festival ( Avery Fisher Hall), at Red Sea Festival in Eilat, Israel with Mariinsky Orchestra under Gergiev, at Mikkeli Festival, and at Sakharov Festival in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Svetlana won many prestigious keyboard competitions, such as Citta di Senigalia International Piano Competition (Italy), Kingsville International Piano Competition (Texas), Wideman Piano Competition in Shreveport, Louisiana, William Byrd Competition in Flint, Michigan, Arthur Dann Piano Competition (Ohio), University of Michigan Concerto Competition, LaPorte Symphony Competition, Bowling Green Concerto Competition, and was a recipient of the “New Name” Scholarship in Moscow, Russia.

In addition to her solo accomplishments, she and her duo partner Maxim Mogilevsky won the prestigious Murray Dranoff International Duo Piano Competition in Miami, Florida. They also received two special prizes: the Audience Favorite Prize and the Casadesus Prize for the best interpretation of the Casadesus Duo Piano Concerto. The prize also included numerous engagements in the United States and Europe. They also were invited to the Casadesus Festival in France to record this concerto. The duo has also performed with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, in the Lincoln Theater of Miami Beach and in Gusman Hall.

EDUCATION
2008
Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

2005
Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance
Bowling Green State University, OH

2003
Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, OH

1999
Graduate Studies in Piano Performance and Chamber Music
Brussels Royal Conservatory, Brussels, Belgium

1998
Studies towards Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance
Indiana University South Bend, IN

1995
Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance
Balakirev Music College, Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia