Ekaterina Melkamini
A disciple of the Russian piano school, Ekaterina Melkamini brings her pedagogical efforts well beyond the frame of a piano lesson format. A visionary, whose original ideas and dynamic creative force have inspired young musicians in the last 25 years, Ekaterina is one of the most influential teachers in the US. Her former piano students are successfully teaching and performing in America and Europe, while young students she is mentoring today frequently win national and international competitions. Being a full-time piano pedagogue, Ekaterina is equally in demand
as a lecturer, performer and composer.
Ekaterina Melkamini’s enthusiasm for visual arts, literature and theater generates many exciting collaborations. Thus, together with brilliant Ukrainian-American pianist Mykola Suk, Ekaterina Melkamini created highly successful lecture recitals “Franz Liszt. Musical and Literary Pilgrimage” which explored Liszt’s musical style as well as works of art, that influenced him to create “Années de Pèlerinage”.
A series of lectures “Dialogues in ad libitum style” and “Beyond the Score” was created for the students of Nevada School of the Arts, where Ekaterina Melkamini served as a faculty member. It deepened students’ understanding of music and opened for them the worlds of poetry and visual art.
Holding Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, Collaborative Piano and Chamber Music, Ekaterina performed extensively in many chamber ensembles. The electrifying presentation of Hugo Wolf’s complete sets of 46 Italian songs performed together with German tenor Scott Swope reflected Ekaterina’s lifelong interest in the art song and vocal art. Passionate about new music, she premiered several works by Virko Baley and Libby Larsen among others.
As a pianist, Ekaterina performed and made a number of recordings for the various theatrical projects, such as “Light for Darkness”, “Pagliacci”, “Fiddle on the Roof” among others. She received commissions to create incidental music for several theatrical productions: “Electra” by Sophocles (Khidoyatov Drama Theater, Uzbekistan), “People” (Brim Art Project, Seattle, USA), “Wer Bin Ich?” (Langerberger Productions, Berlin, Germany).
Besides maintaining a top-rated piano studio in Seattle, Ekaterina Melkamini serves as a president and a creative director of the ProArt Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides opportunities for the young talented musicians and artists across the world. ProArt Foundation offers scholarships and organizes fundraising concerts and exhibitions. Being a strong advocate of high standards in music education, Ekaterina Melkamini regularly contributes to the enrichment of piano teachers by conducting workshops for the local music organizations as well as various seminars for the parents, whose children take music lessons.