Critics have applauded classical pianist Irina Nuzova for her “rise above mere virtuosity” (The Washington Post), “intensity of feeling” (La Nazione, Italy) and “profound interpretation” (Il Resto de Carlino, Bologna). Nuzova has appeared in recital as a soloist and as a chamber musician in the United States, Europe, and South America. In Europe, she has performed as part of the Amici della Musica concert series in Florence; at the Teatro Massima in Catania, Italy; Hermitage State Museum in St. Petersburg; the Moscow Conservatory, and in the Netherlands. In the United States, she has played at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York; and as part of chamber music series including the Rhode Island Chamber Music Concert Series and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago. In recital with Wendy Warner, Nuzova has performed at the Music Institute of Chicago, the Phillips Collection, in Toronto, in Boston, and the Rockefeller tri-Institutional series in New York City. 
Nuzova’s discography includes the critically acclaimed WarnerNuzova duo’s debut recording: Russian Music for Cello & Piano, released in 2010 on Cedille Records. The CD entered the Billboard charts as #8, and has been featured on more than 100 radio stations. Nominated for best chamber music recording by ICMS, Classical Candor commented about the CD: “The two women ...play with style, with grace, with refinement, and with deep emotional attachment, yet always placing the music above any showmanship on their part. Most important, however, they appear to reach into the heart of this heart-wrenching music and convey its inner spirit with not only clarity and precision but with ultimate passion. They are consummate artists.” Warner and Nuzova have played together for years, but officially formed the duo in 2008 with the intention of performing and recording the canonical sonatas for cello and piano from the past and present, as well as commissioning unique arrangements and new music. This first album covers romantic Russian works featuring among others the rarely performed Sonata in A Minor by Nikolai Miaskovsky. Nuzova regards the Miaskovsky sonata a “rare gem,” adding that she likes to flip the Russian maxim which reads: “All is not gold that glitters,” to say “Something that does not glitter can still be gold” in regards to the composer and this sonata in particular. Says Nuzova, “The sonata’s pervasive, nostalgic quality speaks to the Russian soul and mind, but it is subtle and subdued in its expression, and absolutely jewel-like in its clarity and simplicity.”
Nuzova appears as soloist in numerous venues. Besides her appearances with her duo at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. and at St. Paul’s Music in the Park Series, other highlights include the double recital at the Gardner Museum (complete Beethoven cycle of sonatas), and chamber music performances at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Ms. Nuzova has also appeared in live radio interviews and performances in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC, among others, including a live broadcast on WFMT in Chicago; and an interview with Fred Child of Performance Today -- a program that was syndicated nationwide. Also the recipient of the Bruce Hungerford Award at the Young Concert Artist Auditions in New York, Nuzova has won top prizes in competitions such as the Vincenzo Bellini and Citta di Senigallia International Competitions in Italy and the Beethoven Piano Sonata International Competition in Memphis, Tennessee. As a chamber musician, she has won top prizes at the Vittorio Gui and the Premio Trio di Trieste International Chamber Music Competitions in Italy. Nuzova’s performances have been broadcast live on WFMT in Chicago, WGBH in Boston, and Italian TV. Ms. Nuzova is also a member of the Camerata Phillips – an ensemble in residence at the Phillips Collection Gallery in Washington DC.
Nuzova is a native of Moscow, Russia. She made her debut with the Omsk Philharmonic at the age of 14. She studied at the Gnessin Academy of Music under the guidance of Alexander Satz before moving to the United States. Nuzova continued her musical education at the Manhattan School of Music with Lev Natochenny, and at Juilliard where her teachers were Oxana Yablonskaya and Jerome Lowenthal. To further herself as a musician she worked for many years in the cello studio of Harvey Shapiro at Juilliard and pursued individual studies with pianists Jean-Bernard Pommier, Eteri Andjaparidze, and Vladimir Feltsman. Nuzova earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the Hartt School of Music (University of Hartford, Connecticut). She regularly gives lecture recitals at schools and festivals. For the past two summers Nuzova has taught and performed at the Interharmony International Music Festival and the Summit International Music Festival in Purchase, NY. She also serves regularly as a jury panelist. Ms. Nuzova is a member of the piano faculty of the Special School of Music in New York City and of Bard College's pre-college division.
