HONENS 2022 PRIZE LAUREATE, UKRAINIAN PIANIST ILLIA OVCHARENKO, PERFORMS UKRAINIAN WORKS ALONGSIDE CLASSICS AT CARNEGIE HALL, FEBRUARY 26

Credit: Monique St. Croix

New York, NY, January 31, 2023—Fast-rising Ukrainian concert pianist and 2022 Honens Prize Laureate, Illia Ovcharenko performs at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on February 26 at 7:30 pm. Lauded as “technically flawless and impeccably musical” (International Piano), Ovcharenko performs a deeply personal program featuring works by Ukrainian composers Valentin Silvestrov and Levko Revutsky, alongside classics including two Scarlatti Keyboard Sonatas, Liszt’s legendary Piano Sonata in B minor, and Chopin’s triumphant “Heroic” Polonaise.

Ovcharenko embodies Honens’ ideal of a “Complete Artist” with his technical mastery, perseverance against adversity, and an understanding of musical text that is intellectual and emotional. Ovcharenko developed this special Carnegie Hall program of “Contrasts and Connections” with three parts in mind: current times, memories and reflections, and hope for the future. Ovcharenko comments, “Especially at this moment, it is important to me that I represent my culture and tell my story through the music and places that shaped who I am. I will open with a portrait of this past year: a prayer, followed by a monumental struggle, ending quietly in uncertainty, colored by ashes left behind. The second half of the concert features works by Levko Revutsky and Valentin Silvestrov, born respectively in Chernihiv and Kyiv, the two cities I consider hometowns. My musical and cultural heritage was formed in these cities, a line of influence paralleled by their own personal connection to each other, as Revutsky was one of Silvestrov’s teachers.” The recital concludes on a note of optimism with Chopin’s “Heroic” Polonaise composed during the times of European Revolutions and later perceived as an inspiration for the people who fought for their rights.

The Honens International Piano Competition takes place every three years in Calgary, Canada, and is considered one of the world’s most prestigious events of its kind. With an initial $5 million bequest from music-lover Esther Honens in 1991, the Competition started with the mission to provide a platform for exceptional pianists and to discover the next “Complete Artist.” By this definition, competitors undergo solo, chamber, concerto, and interview rounds. The Honens Prize Laureate is awarded $100,000 (CAD) and Honens’ Artist Development Program, which provides artistic and career guidance and support, including debut recitals in some of the world’s leading concert houses, concert opportunities with leading orchestras, professional management, residencies, and recordings. In addition to the competition, Honens holds an annual festival, which is one of Canada’s premier classical music events.

As part of the 2022 Laureate Prize, Honens presents Ovcharenko in the world’s most remarkable classical music venues in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada including Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall. This recital is presented with the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation.

Tickets for this event are available online at carnegiehall.org, by phone via CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or in person at the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57^th and Seventh.

Honens Presents:
Illia Ovcharenko in Recital
Sunday, February 26 | 7:30 pm
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
Tickets: $15, $20, $30, $40

Full Program:
Scarlatti: Sonata in B minor K. 27
Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor S. 178
Scarlatti: Sonata in B minor K. 87
Valentin Silvestrov: Bagatelle Op. 1 No. 1 (2005)
Levko Revutsky: Three Preludes, Op. 4, Nos. 1 and 3
Silvestrov: Bagatelle Op. 1 No. 2
Revutsky: Three Preludes Op. 4, No. 2 and Two Preludes Op. 7, Nos. 1 and 2
Silvestrov: Bagatelle Op. 1 No.3
Revutsky: Sonata Allegro in B minor Op. 1
Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat Major Op. 53 “Heroic”

ABOUT ILLIA OVCHARENKO

Winner of the lauded 2022 Honens International Piano Competition, 21-year-old Ukrainian pianist Illia Ovcharenko has taken the piano world by storm. The Honens International Piano Competition stands apart from all other competitions in their core of valuing and rewarding “The Complete Artist.” Highlights of the 2022 / 2023 season include Carnegie Hall performances and an international tour spanning Brussels, Paris, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Germany, and Canada.

Ovcharenko has performed with leading orchestras including the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Pomeranian Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, National Radio of Ukraine, Versailles Conservatory String Orchestra, Calgary Symphony Orchestra, and Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. He has also collaborated with prestigious conductors such as Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Arie Vardi, Ian Hobson, Mykola Diadyura, Kai Bumann, Benoit Girault, Volodymyr Sirenko, Nicolo Giuliani, Jeffrey Kahane, and Vitaly Protasov.

Ovcharenko is a frequent participant at music festivals worldwide in countries including France, Ukraine, Israel, United States, Germany, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy. He has appeared at the Arthur Rubinstein Piano Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Festival Auvers-sur-Oise and the Pontoise Piano Campus, and Bern Interlaken Classics, among others. As a recipient of the Polonsky Fellowship (2019, 2021), he studied at the Aspen Music Festival with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Hung Kuan Chen. Ovcharenko is a scholarship recipient from the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the Hannover Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien following his studies at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv under the tutelage of Arie Vardie.

Prior to winning the Honens International Piano Competition in 2022, Ovcharenko won the New York International Piano Competition in 2022, received Second Prize at the Hilton Head International Piano Competition in 2022, became Laureate of the Busoni International Piano Competition (Italy) in 2021, won the Michelangeli Prize at the Eppan International Piano Academy in Italy, and claimed First Prize at the Horowitz International Piano Competition in Ukraine in 2019.

Ovcharenko is a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship of Ukraine. He is represented by Kanzen Artists.

ABOUT HONENS

The Honens International Piano Competition takes place every three years and is considered one of the world’s most prestigious events of its kind. Honens prepares its Laureates for the rigours and realities of professional careers in music and creates opportunities for growth and exposure. The annual Honens Festival is one of Canada’s premier classical music events, intended to share Mrs. Honens’ love of world renowned music with Albertans every year.

Esther Honens created a legacy of musical excellence to be enjoyed for generations. In 1991, knowing she was near the end of her life, Mrs. Honens gave $5 million to endow an international piano competition in her hometown of Calgary, Canada. Her generosity, vision, and love of music continue to touch the lives of Calgarians, Canadians, musicians, and music-lovers around the world.

ABOUT AZRIELI FOUNDATION

With a firm belief that everyone, from our most vulnerable to our most exceptional, has a contribution to make, the Azrieli Foundation has been opening doors, breaking ground and nurturing networks for over 30 years. As the largest non-corporate foundation in Canada, it funds institutions and operate programs in Canada and Israel.