Oleksiy Kushnir began his musical education in his homeland, Ukraine, at the S. Krushelnytska Music School (class of J. Moisjak) in Lviv. He continued his piano studies at the Lysenko Music Academy in Lviv, completing his Diploma and Concert Exam under the guidance of Prof. M. Krushelnytska and J. Örmeny.
During this time, he established himself as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing in Ukraine, Poland, and France with symphony orchestras from the Philharmonics of Lviv and Kyiv.
In 1996, together with violinist Ostap Shutko, he became a laureate of the Maria Canals International Chamber Music Competition in Barcelona.
Since 1998, Oleksiy Kushnir has achieved significant success as a piano duo with Olha Chipak. Together, they studied as a piano duo at the University of Music and Theatre Rostock under Professors Hans-Peter and Volker Stenzl.
Their achievements in competitions include:
•2nd Prize – TIM (Torneo Internazionale di Musica) (2000)
•2nd Prize – Chamber Music Competition in Caltanissetta (2000)
•1st Prize – “Premio Seiler” in Palermo (2002)
•2nd Prize – “Palma d’Oro” in Finale Ligure (2002)
•1st Prize – Piano Duo Competition in Bialystok, Poland (2002)
•1st Prize – “Piano Duo in the 20th Century” (Premio Valentino Bucchi) (2003)
•2nd Prize and Audience Prize – “Dranoff Two Piano Competition” in Miami (2003)
•1st Prize and Special Prize – San Marino Piano Competition (2006)
Thanks to new artistic connections made during these competitions, the duo embarked on numerous concert tours across Ukraine, Poland, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, the USA, Russia, China, and more. Their performances in prestigious venues such as the Konzerthaus Berlin, Sala Baldini in Rome, Glazunov Hall in St. Petersburg, the Grand Hall of the Warsaw Chopin Academy, Kyiv National Philharmonic, Steinway Hall, Miami’s Lincoln Theater, and Teatro Verdi in Trieste have earned them international recognition.
Their interpretations have been featured at renowned international festivals such as the “Heinrich Neuhaus Festival,” “Virtuosi” (Ukraine), the Piano Festival in Trieste, and the “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival.” They have also been broadcast on NDR, BR Klassik, HR, as well as radio and television in Ukraine, Poland, San Marino, and China.
In 2007, their CD featuring piano duo works by Johannes Brahms, Max Reger, and Sergei Rachmaninoff (ZMS Records) won the “Web Concert Hall Competition” in 2012.
In 2011, they released another production with GENUIN featuring major piano duo works by Johannes Brahms. The CD received high praise in the German music press and was nominated for the “ECHO Klassik” award in 2012.
In 2014, GENUIN released their CD “Masques,” featuring fantasies, paraphrases, and transcriptions of works by Igor Stravinsky, Maurice Ravel, Abram Chasins, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and others.
From 2007 to 2009, they collaborated with the Stenzl brothers to offer annual masterclasses in piano and piano duo at the Baden-Württemberg State Academy in Ochsenhausen.
Since 2006, Oleksiy Kushnir has served as a lecturer in piano, teaching major and minor piano courses in the Bachelor of Music program, as well as core and elective piano courses in teacher training programs.
