A cycle of piano concertos for the left hand recorded with the MDR Symphony Orchestra and Oksana Lyniv

“Manu Sinistra” is Out Now

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Praised as “technically flawless and impeccably musical” (International Piano), Illia Ovcharenko is one of the world’s most celebrated young pianists. He is the 2022 Honens Prize Laureate, embodying Honens’ ideal of The Complete Artist through his technical mastery, perseverance, and intellectual and emotional understanding of music. Besides winning at the Honens International Piano Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious events of its kind, Ovcharenko has received prizes at more than 20 competitions throughout the world. These include, in the last four years, top prizes at the Klavierolymp in Bad Kissingen, Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, New York International Piano Competition, Hilton Head International Piano Competition, “Prix du Piano” Bern, as well as obtaining the Michelangeli Prize of the Eppan Piano Academy.

Ovcharenko plays in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world, including Carnegie Hall, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Salle Bourgie in Montréal, and Salle Cortot in Paris. He has also been an artist in the prestigious Classeek Ambassador Programme.

The 2026-27 season includes debuts with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Orchestra of Teatro Communale Bologna and the Bursa Symphony Orchestra, as well as Illia’s debut at the Mozartwoche, with the Youth Symphony of Ukraine and his Chinese debut with the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra. In recital, the season includes returns to Salle Bourgie in Montreal, Music Toronto, the Israel Conservatory, and Bergson in Munich, as well as a three-concert residency at Cecilia Concerts in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he will appear in recitals with  Louis Lortie, Jacques Forestier and the Viano Quartet. Other partnerships in the season include duo recitals with Vadym Kholodenko in Chur and Liechtenstein, and with Kevin Chen at Koerner Hall in Toronto … [read more]

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Acclaim

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  • “Illia Ovcharenko’s solo performances were technically flawless and impeccably musical. He captured the wild emotional swings of Schumann’s Kreisleriana, vaulted effortlessly over the hurdles in Ginastera’s Sonata No. 1 and concluded with a stupendous performance of Liszt’s Sonata in B minor. I’m confident this 21-year-old Ukrainian will have a big career.”

    —International Piano

  • “Ovcharenko plays with iron hands cloaked in mink gloves – a debut of sweep, dynamism and unexpected discoveries”

    -Gramophone

  • “This is a musician of the highest order: the real deal, as they say.”

    —Seen and Heard International

  • “…Already a master of the piano and a consolidated personality. His playing combines warmth, strength, sensitivity, intimacy and great bows. He convinced with his diversity, his color spectrum, his willingness to take risks and his intelligence of programming.”

    —Fränkischer Tag

  • “…the most important part of the afternoon program was probably Ovcharenko’s astonishing Liszt Sonata in B minor. Lushly detailed and violently thrilling, it left us holding our breath and riveted …“

    —Ludwig Van

  • “His Tchaikovsky Concerto No 1 was among the finest I have heard in the last 20 years – a list that includes the likes of Nikolai Lugansky, Evengy Kissin, Yuja Wang, and Daniil Trifonov.”

    —International Piano

  • “Ovcharenko proved to be a remarkably stylish Mozartian: the runs sparkled, the sound was clear and crisp, and there was a rhythmic liveliness that informed every movement of the concerto…the audience was simply overwhelmed.”

    —The Calgary Herald

  • “…his Mozart was playful, with shapely singsong phrasing and crispy edges… In his hands, the Andantino had a piercing, delicious clarity and the finale was more joyful than silly. It was an impeccable performance.”

    —Ludwig Van

  • “But Ovcharenko is a tremendous pianist, who would shine at any of the world’s most prestigious competitions.”

    —International Piano

  • “…his Mozart was playful, with shapely singsong phrasing and crispy edges… In his hands, the Andantino had a piercing, delicious clarity and the finale was more joyful than silly. It was an impeccable performance.”

    —Ludwig Van

  • “Ovcharenko is as thoughtful and exact in his concert programming as he is technically proficient and emotionally immersive at the keyboard.”

    —Blogcritics

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Upcoming Performances

  • Pentatone Label Anniversary Gala Celebration

    J & A Beare

    London, the United Kingdom

  • Duo Recital with Jiaxin Min at Musica Andeer Festival

    Reformierte Kirche Andeer

    Andeer, Switzerland

    Information and tickets

  • Press Preview Recital at Fondation Beyeler

    New Ensemble Fondation Beyeler

    Basel, Switzerland

  • Concerto Performance with the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and Stephan Frucht

    Tonhalle Dusseldorf

    Dusseldorf, Germany

    More information and tickets

  • Solo Recital for Honens Laureate Circle

    Calgary, AB, Canada

    More information

  • Artist in Residence at Cecilia Concerts

    Duo Recital with Louis Lortie

    Stage at St. Andrews

    Halifax, NS, Canada

    More information and tickets

  • Masterclass at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts

    Halifax, NS, Canada

  • Concerto Performance with Orchestre symphonique de Quebec and Izabelė Jankauskaitė

    Palais Montcalm

    Quebec City, QC, Canada

    More information and tickets

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