Dr. Irina Khovanskaya was born to a musician’s family in Russia’s Moscow Region on September 9, 1972. She began piano lessons at age 4 with Anna Artobolevskaya and gave her first recital at age 6 in Kiev, Ukraine.
In 1979, Khovanskaya entered the Central Special Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, where she studied with Anna Artobolevskaya and Alexander Mndoyantz. In 1980, Khovanskaya played a concert within the framework of The Fall Festival in Leningrad. She traveled to the city of Volgograd in 1981 to play Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D Major with the Volgograd Symphony Orchestra. In 1982, she played a concert for the Russian Space Center in the Moscow Region. While studying at the Moscow Central Special Music School, she gave numerous concerts in the MCSMS Hall and in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. In 1987, Khovanskaya was invited to play Arensky’s Fantasia on the Theme of Ryabinin for piano and orchestra with the Russian Folk Symphony Orchestra under Nicolay Nekrasov on the USSR TV.
Khovanskaya entered the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in 1990, where her teacher was Professor Victor Merzhanov. She gave numerous recitals in Moscow (Great, Small and Rachmaninov Halls of Moscow Conservatory; Goldenveiser’s Museum; Gagarin Concert Hall; Historical State Museum; Revolution State Museum), Tambov (Rachmaninov Music College), Vladimir (Philharmony), Novgorod (Philharmony) and many other cities in Russia. In 1992, she played Weber’s Konzertstück with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra under Sergey Skripka. She also played abroad: in Switzerland (Zurich), Germany (München), Belgium (Brussels) and Poland (Warsaw).
In 1993, Khovanskaya received a Special Jury Prize in the first Rachmaninov International Piano Competition in Moscow. During the competition, a recording of her performance was made by All-Russian Radio. She also participated in the 1993 ARD International Piano Competition in München and in the 1995 Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in Brussels. In 1999, she won First Prize in the Texas Steinway Society Piano Competition in Dallas. She took part in International Piano Master Classes with Professor Rudolf Buchbinder in Zurich (1996 and 1997). She recorded in Russia (USSR TV and Radio), made a CD in Poland (1997) and performed on NBC in the United States (1999).
From 1996 to 1998, Khovanskaya was a member of "Da camera e da chiesa" Moscow chamber ensemble under Victor Felitziant. This ensemble toured extensively in Russia and abroad. Concerts were given within the framework of the World’s Chamber Music Masterpieces Historical Concerts founded by "Da camera e da chiesa" chamber ensemble. This concert series took place in the Moscow State Historical Museum, the Moscow State Museum of Revolution, Stanislavsky’s Museum, the Rachmaninov Hall of Moscow Conservatory, the Moscow Concert Exhibition Gagarin Hall, Tchekhov’s Museum in Melikhovo and the Astafievo State Museum. Among the compositions played were works by Alyabiev, Arensky, Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Mendelsohn, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven.
Khovanskaya graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory in 1996 with a Diploma of Honors. During the next two years (1997-1998), she did post-graduate work at the Moscow Conservatory with Professor Victor Merzhanov.
In 1998, Irina Khovanskaya moved to San Antonio, TX (USA), where she taught at University of the Incarnate Word and played recitals. Currently resides in Toronto, Ontario (Canada).
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