The Ensemble da Camera of Washington
Anna Balakerskaia
Pianist Anna Balakerskaia has performed throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist, appearing in major concert halls across Russia, Europe, North America, and South America. Equally distinguished as a performer and educator, she has devoted her career to both the concert stage and the training of generations of young musicians.
From her conservatory years in St. Petersburg, Balakerskaia demonstrated an exceptional affinity for chamber music and collaboration. She has performed with many of the world’s distinguished musicians, including Leonid Kogan, Kirill Kondrashin, Viktor Tretyakov, and Daniil Shafran. She has also collaborated with laureates at major international competitions throughout Europe, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium and the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, where she was three times awarded a diploma for outstanding accompaniment.
Her international concert tours have taken her throughout Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy, Finland, the United States, Canada, and Argentina. She has appeared in many of the world’s celebrated concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and major venues in Montreal. In Washington, D.C., she has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, and Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Balakerskaia is a founding member of The Ensemble da Camera of Washington, joining musicians from Russia, Germany, and Brazil in an ensemble devoted to an extensive repertoire spanning solo, duo, and trio literature. With the ensemble, she has performed throughout the United States, participated in premieres of newly commissioned works, and made critically acclaimed recordings. Her command of an exceptionally broad repertoire has also made her a frequent collaborator with leading artists in concerts, festivals, and recording projects.
A highly respected teacher, Balakerskaia has guided students who have received prizes in competitions in the United States and Europe. She has presented master classes internationally and has taught and performed at music festivals in Italy, Germany, Russia, and the Netherlands. She has served as Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at George Mason University, where her work as a pianist, teacher, and chamber music coach has influenced generations of musicians.
Balakerskaia received her graduate degrees in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Chamber Music from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory, where she studied piano with Nadezhda Golubovskaya and chamber music with Tamara Fidler. Before moving to the United States, she served on the faculties of both the Moscow Conservatory and the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
Photo: Alexis Glenn / Creative Services / George Mason University