BIO

Hailed for his “uncommon sensitivity and feeling” (The New York Times), Roman Rabinovich is a pianist of profound musical insight, celebrated for interpretations that combine technical brilliance with bold artistic personality. Winner of the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, he has appeared on major stages across Europe and the U.S., including Gewandhaus, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Cité de la Musique, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Wigmore Hall, where he gave three solo recitals in 2024–25.

Dubbed “a true polymath, in the Renaissance sense of the word” (Seen & Heard International), Rabinovich is also a composer and visual artist. He has garnered acclaim for concerto performances across the centuries, from Bach to Lutosławski, collaborating with leading orchestras worldwide, including the Israel Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Prague Symphony, KBS Symphony, and all major Israeli orchestras. In North America, he has appeared with the Seattle Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, and Edmonton Symphony. He has worked with conductors including Sir Roger Norrington, Zubin Mehta, Ludovic Morlot, Kristjan Järvi, Michael Stern, Christoph Koenig, Gerard Schwarz, JoAnn Falletta, James Judd, and Joseph Swensen. His 2025–26 season features concertos by Prokofiev, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Brahms across the U.S. and Canada.

His recital repertoire spans six centuries, from Byrd to Boulez, with a recent focus on Bach’s Goldberg Variations, accompanied by a 32-episode social media series exploring the work. His recital for Mezzo was televised to 39 countries, reaching millions of viewers and recent recital appearances include Washington Performing Arts, 92nd Street Y, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Shriver Hall, Lincoln Center, Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, Vancouver Recital Society, Gilmore Keyboard Festival’s Rising Stars Series, the Phillips Collection, and Portland Piano International.

He has earned particular acclaim as a Haydn interpreter, presenting complete sonata cycles at the Lammermuir and Bath Festivals, Herbstgold Festival in Eisenstadt, and ChamberFest Cleveland, after which the Plain Dealer noted, “the composer himself could not have wished for a better performance.” Rabinovich curated a three-concert “Haydn Day” at Wigmore Hall in 2022.

His recording of Haydn Sonatas Vol. 2 on First Hand Records was Piano International’s Recording of the Month, observing, “Time and again he finds magic.” Rabinovich has also recorded solo piano arrangements of ballets—including Ballets Russes: Ravel/Daphnis & Chloë, Stravinsky’s Petrushka, and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet—earning the Classical Recording Foundation Artist of the Year award, with BBC Music Magazine praising his “infectious and joyful playing, dazzling passagework, and broad palette of colours.”

An avid chamber musician, Rabinovich has collaborated with the Dover, Modigliani, and Escher Quartets, as well as Steven Isserlis, Benjamin Beilman, Camille Thomas ,and Fleur Barron. He has appeared at major festivals including Marlboro, La Jolla SummerFest, Klavier Festival Ruhr, Lucerne, Davos, Prague Spring, Dvorak Prague, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Born in Tashkent and raised in Israel, Rabinovich debuted with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta at age 10. A graduate of the Curtis Institute (Seymour Lipkin) and Juilliard (Robert McDonald), he was among the first three pianists selected by Sir András Schiff for his Building Bridges series. A passionate curator, he is co-artistic director of the lauded festivals ChamberFest Cleveland and ChamberFest West in Calgary, creating adventurous programs that spark conversation, foster connection, and enrich the communal experience of music. Rabinovich is a Steinway Artist.