“Pavel is arguably the most popular pianist in his hometown of St. Petersburg, where his concerts usually sell out,” said Alexei Doudkine, a family friend of Egorov’s living in Kamloops. “This is his second appearance in Vernon. He played in the North Okanagan Community Concert series in 2004.”

Back in B.C. to give recitals in Kamloops and Vernon, while also conducting master classes with local piano students, Egorov will perform Schumann’s Fantasy Pieces (Fantasiestücke) as well as works by Chopin and Scriabin at the VCMS.

“I hope that I will be able to translate to the audience my understanding of the music, so people who listen will be touched by it,” he said.

An expert on the work of Schumann, Egorov is a national artist of the Russian Federation (the highest artistic title of Russia), and honorary member of the International Schumann and St. Petersburg Philharmonic societies.

A graduate of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, he won the grand prize and gold medal at the International Schumann Competition in Zwickau, Germany. In 1980, after finishing his postgraduate studies, he was invited to teach at the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, where he is currently working as a professor of the department of special piano.

An international performer, Egorov has given 3,000 solo, symphonic and chamber concerts, and has made more than 40 recordings for different Russian and international labels. He is also an avid music researcher and is the scientific editor of the seven-volume first Russian edition of Schumann’s complete piano works.