Since ancient times Russian land was famous for its craftsmen, its originals and men of genius, its great artists and musicians, whose talents delighted the whole world. Today, in the cold age of progressive nano-technologies, humanity lacks spirituality, sensual simplicity and harmony. Maybe, the Lord sends genii to Earth for that very purpose – for the men of great thought to mellow the hardened spirits, to surprise the world with beauty.
It is no coincidence that a genius is born in the heart of Russia, not in a metropolis. Yes, it is there, in the city of Chelyabinsk, Dmitry Shishkin, a small genius, was born on the 12th of February, 1992. As soon as he’s learnt to hold upright, Dmitry’s mother, a teacher and a musician, sits him before a piano. Being only a year and a half of age, he played the first pieces of music, but when he was three years old, Dmitry put on his first concert, and at the age of six he was performing with an orchestra! It was then that the press started calling him a prodigy, “a genius of extraordinary skills”.
Aged four he enters Chelyabinsk special music school of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The little genius was learning the world through music.
In 2000, when Dmitry was barely eight, he was called “Person of the Year” in Chelyabinsk, winning in the “Young Talent” nomination.
In 2001, aged nine, Dmitry entered Moscow special music school of Gnesiny, began to study with a professor Mikhail Khokhlov and, having finished the piano studies, in 2010 he entered Moscow Conservatory and began to study with a professor Eliso Virsaladze.
On the 12th of June, 2010, on the Russia Day “Young Russia” concert was held on the Red Square, before the people and its government. Under the conduction of the Meritorious Artist of Russia, Mikhail Khokhlov, “Virtuosos of Gnesiny” Orchestra and Dmitry performed the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor by P. I. Tchaikovsky.
Being a student, Dmitry won multiple music contests and festivals:
- XVII International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition (VI prize, Warsaw, Poland, 2015)
- 59 Busoni International Piano Competition (III prize, Italy, 2013)
- FVG International Piano Competition (II prize, Italy, 2013)
- VIII International Arthur Rubinstein Memorial Competition for Young Pianists (II prize, Poland, 2009)
- VII International Arthur Rubinstein Memorial Competition for Young Pianists (II prize, Poland, 2009)
- V International F. Chopin Competition for Young Pianists (I prize, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, 2006)
- VIII International Maria Yudina Competition for Pianists (I prize, Saint Petersburg, 2006)
- Festival of Romantic Music for Young Pianists (Moscow, 2005)
- V International “Nutcracker” TV Competition for Young Musicians (“Golden Nutcracker”, Moscow, 2004)
- Russian National “Rotary” Music Competition for Children (Moscow, 2002)
- Wiesbaden Festival of Russian Music (Germany, 2002)
- III “A Step Up to the Mastership” International Competition for Young Pianists (Saint Petersburg, 2000)
- Russian A. D. Artobolevskaya Competition for Young Pianists (Moscow, 1999)
- I “Musical Spring of Ural” Open Festival for Young Musicians (Yekaterinburg, 1999)
- Chelyabinsk Competition for Young Pianists (Grand-prix, 1998)
- III International “Shore of Hope” Festival Competition (Albena-Dobrich, Bulgaria, 1998)
Dmitry is studying at the Moscow Conservatory and performs with the leading Russian and European orchestras, such as: State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation (conductor M. Gorenshtein, Meritorious Artist of Russia), Moscow State Symphony Orchestra (conductor Vladimir Fedoseev, People’s Artist of the USSR), Saint Petersburg State Capella Orchestra (conductor V. Chernushenko, People’s Artist of the USSR), Moscow City Symphony “Russian Philharmonic” (conductor M. Fedotov, Meritorious Artist of Russia), “Musica Viva” Academic Orchestra (conductor A. Rudin, Meritorious Artist of Russia), “Virtuosos of Gnesiny” Chamber Orchestra (conductor M. Hohlov, Meritorious Artist of Russia), Philharmonic Orchestra of Nizhny Novgorod and others.
In 2014 he became an artist of the “KNS” label.
Dmitry combines his studies with classic concert performances in Moscow, other Russian cities and abroad. He tours in Bulgaria, Germany, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Italy, Spain, France, Great Britain, Japan, Austria, China and Poland.
Today Dmitry is not only a masterful musician, he is a talented composer as well.
Russian and foreign press single out his bright creative individuality and his brilliant piano skills that were the topic of numerous articles and telecasts.