Photo Credit: The Cliburn
Anna Geniushene
Sunday, May 11, 2025 – 3:00 PM
Mairs Concert Hall, Macalester College
“It was Geniushene’s powerhouse sound, forceful musical personality, and sheer virtuosity that had this critic on the edge of his seat.”
— Musical America
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Program
SCHUBERT
Allegretto in C minor, D. 915
SCHUBERT
Sonata in C minor, D. 958
Intermission
VERDI-LISZT
Miserere du Trovatore
Danza sacra e duetto finale d’Aida
STRAVINSKY-AGOSTI
Three movements from The Firebird
Anna Geniushene’s fresh, layered, and powerful interpretations defined her participation at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and won her the silver medal and the adoration of fans around the globe.
Accolades ensued—Musical America named her Young Artist of the Month in July 2022 and Pianist magazine featured her on the cover in June 2023—and invitations from well-respected institutions followed. Recent and upcoming engagements include debut recitals for Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center, Wiener Konzerthaus, and the Bravo! Vail and Grand Teton Music Festivals; debut concerts at Tonhalle Zurich and Stadtcasino Basel, replacing Daniel Barenboim in recital; and collaborations with the Taipei and Lithuanian Symphony Orchestras, conductors Gábor Takács-Nagy, Eliahu Inbal, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and pianists Wu Han and Dmytro Choni.
Her album ‘Berceuse’ is a deeply personal project of lullabies spanning from John Field and Liszt to Dutilleux and Weinberg and was released in 2023 on the Piano Classics label. A disc with husband and duo piano partner Lukas Geniušas is planned for release on the Alpha label. She joins the roster of the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 2024–2027.
Born in Moscow on New Year’s Day in 1991, Anna made her recital debut just seven years later in the small hall of the Berlin Philharmonic. She has since developed a diverse and versatile career as an artist: performances around the world and appearances with numerous famed conductors, including Marin Alsop and Nicholas McGegan, among others. Her dedication to chamber music includes a close collaboration with Quartetto di Cremona.
Anna’s debut recording, featuring works by Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, was released on LINN Records in March 2020. A laureate of major piano contests before winning the Cliburn Silver Medal, she had strong finishes at the Leeds, Tchaikovsky, and Busoni Competitions.
Anna Geniushene graduated in 2015 from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she studied with Elena Kuznetsova. She completed her Master’s Degree with Distinction and Advanced Diploma from the Royal Academy in London in 2018 as a student of Christopher Elton. An enthusiastic teacher, she regularly gives masterclasses and adjudicates competitions, and served as assistant professor at the Moscow Conservatory until 2022. She currently resides in Lithuania with her husband and their two young sons.
“Geniushene is clearly a solid and substantial musician. Her performances of Brahms’ Op. 10 Rhapsodies and Beethoven’s Op. 33 Bagatelles were magical.”
— Dallas Morning News
“Scampering up and down the keyboard or gracefully leading the way into folk music realms, she and the orchestra vied playfully for dominance and deployed a virtuosity which seemed both joyful and natural…”
— The Guardian
“I couldn’t help but equate Anna Geniushene’s seasoned pianism to [Van] Cliburn at his best.”
— Gramophone
“Geniushene played beautifully with an exquisite touch and almost an infinite tonal palette.”
—La Scena Musicale
“And her phrasing was shapely and compelling every time she touched the keys. And the vivacity of the last movement had to be heard to be believed. This was a wonderful performance.”
— La Scena Musicale
“It was Geniushene’s powerhouse sound, forceful musical personality, and sheer virtuosity that had this critic on the edge of his seat.”
— Musical America