Ever since September 2014, Valley fans of classical music have wondered when they might get to hear Pavel Kolesnikov again.
That year the pianist traveled, on short notice, from Moscow to Victoria and then put in a day rehearsing with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra.
The next day, he joined them at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre, where he played Rachmaninov’s formidable Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor.
Enthralled, members of the audience leapt to their feet after hearing one of the finest piano performances ever presented in Duncan.
Now, the Cowichan Symphony Society has been able to bring him back to the Valley.
On Saturday, Nov. 26, Kolesnikov returns to Duncan to perform Chopin’s Concerto No. 2.
Kolesnikov was born in Novosibirsk, Russia in 1989, and like many of his compatriots, he began his musical training at an early age.
He entered the Moscow State Conservatoire in 2007 and, in that same year, received a national award given to outstanding young talent.
He continued his education at the Royal College of Music in London and has since taken part in many festivals and won numerous awards, including the first prize at the Gilels International Piano Competition, and the special Jury Prize at the XIV International P.I. Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
In October 2012 he won first prize at the Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary.
Concert stages in Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland have welcomed him and he has delighted many audiences across North America.
The Victoria Symphony concert on Nov. 26 will also include a performance of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7 and the world premiere of Jordan Pal’s On the Double concert overture. Conductor Robert Franz will lead the orchestra.
Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $42 each for adults, with a reduction to $25 for rows A, B, and C. Children and students get in for $5 each.
Pick up your tickets in person at the Cowichan Ticket Centre, order by phone at 250-748-7529 or go online to cowichanpac.ca and reserve them there.
