Internationally acclaimed pianist Nikita Fitenko has performed recitals and with orchestras in the former Soviet Union, Europe, Asia, and South and North America. He has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as St. Petersburg Capella Symphony, Russian Chamber Philharmonic, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow, St. Petersburg State Conservatory Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra, Slovak National Philharmonic, Lewisville Symphony, Rapides Symphony, Northeast Texas Symphony, and Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. His future engagements this year besides the concerts in the US will bring him to Sweden, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.
While performing a wide and diverse repertoire, Nikita Fitenko is an acknowledged master of Russian piano music. He recorded three CDs for Altarus Records of works by leading contemporary Russian composers. His initial recording of solo piano works by Georgy Sviridov (1997) and his two-CD set of music by Sergei Slonimsky (2000) have garnered rave reviews from the international music press. Fanfare Music Review wrote, "Fitenko plays magnificently!" Slonimsky himself described Fitenko's interpretation of his piano music as "outstanding." He also added, "It is very vivid, imaginative, virtuosic, fascinating, and pianistically brilliant." Mr. Fitenko's latest recording – Scriabin's Piano Concerto with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow was released on Classical Records label in December 2007.
In addition to solo recitals, Nikita Fitenko performs extensively in piano duo with Katerina Zaitseva. Hailed by critics for their "superlative sound, superlative interpretation, and superlative pianism…" (European Piano Teachers Association Journal: July 2006), the duo has performed worldwide with most recent appearances at Piano Duo Series (Tokyo, Japan), Nancyphonies Music Festival (Nancy, France), and Berkeley University (California, USA). In 2005 the Fitenko-Zaitseva duo recorded their first CD on the Classical Records label featuring works for piano four hands by Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
Native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Nikita Fitenko graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory with a citation for excellence given to only five other graduates in the last fifty years. After receiving the Anton Rubinstein Memorial Award he came to study to the US pursuing his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of North Texas. His principal teachers included Roman Lebedev, Igor Lebedev, and Joseph Banowetz.
Nikita Fitenko is a prizewinner of several competitions including Belarusian International Piano Competition (Minsk, Belarus), Beethoven Piano Competition (Memphis, TN), and Houston Symphony National Young Artist Competition (Houston, TX) among others.
Dr. Fitenko has been invited to serve on many international piano competition juries including 2003 World International Piano Competition in Cincinnati, OH; 2008 Rachmaninov International Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia; 2008 Nordic International Piano Competition in Malmo, Sweden; and 2009 American Pianists Association Classical Fellowship Awards Competition.
Currently, Dr. Fitenko holds a position of Associate Professor of Piano at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Prior to that he was Associate Professor and Coordinator of Keyboard Area at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Since 2002 Nikita Fitenko has been the artistic director of the Louisiana Piano Series International. He is also the founder and artistic director of the Louisiana International Piano Competition as well as one of the organizers and the Vice-President of the Florida International Piano Competition (formerly Orlando International Piano Competition).
