Faina Lushtak was born and raised in the Soviet Union. A child prodigy, she began her piano and composition studies at the age of six. She graduated from the Stolyarsky Special Music School for Musically Gifted Children. At the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, where she studied under the renowned teachers Eleonora Levinson, Genrietta Mirvis and Yakov Zak, she earned degrees in piano performance and composition. She became a faculty member at the Conservatory and performed throughout the Soviet Union. In 1978, she immigrated to the United States.
Her performances have earned widespread critical acclaim. Reviewing her debut at Alice Tully Hall, The New York Times wrote: “The qualities she prizes most are clarity of line and transparency of texture. Incisive clarity remained her hallmark.” Fanfare described her “vibrant, dynamic readings, delicate expressiveness and a dazzling virtuosity.” The Times-Picayune wrote that “her technique is sure and ample. Her tone varies from a beautiful, singing lyricism to a more matter-of-fact solidity.” And The Ledger in Lakeland, Fla., described her playing as “very brilliant, very romantic, very colorful and stylish.”
Ms. Lushtak has performed both as a solo recitalist and as guest artist with numerous symphony orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, under distinguished conductors such as William Henry Curry, Maxim Shostakovich, Klaus Peter Seibel and Alfred Savia. She has made frequent guest artist appearances and conducted master classes at university campuses, including at Emory University, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Texas Christian University. She has also performed as guest artist at festivals, including the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in Salt Lake City and the Pro Mozart Society in Atlanta. She has been a judge at the New Orleans International Piano Competition, the Wideman International Piano Competition, the Gina Bachauer International Junior piano Competition, the Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition, the Cleveland International Piano Competition the Hilton Head International Piano competition, and the Yamaha / Bösendorfer international piano competition.
Fiana Lushtak is the Downman Professor of Music at the Newcomb Music Department of Tulane University, where she heads the piano division. She is also music director of Tulane’s Concert Piano Series. Ms. Lushtak is on the faculty of the Orfeo International Music Festival in Italy. She is a Steinway Artist.
Her performance of works by Rachmaninoff and Scriabin has been recorded on the Centaur label. Centaur also released a subsequent recording of Chopin Mazurkas. Her compositions for piano, chamber music groups, voice and violin have been published in the U.S., the United Kingdom, and the former Soviet Union.
Faina Lushtak’s latest recordings La poesie de la vie and her original Piano Compositions for Children and Adults is available on iTunes. Her original compositions are available on www.sheetmusicplus.com.
