Valentina Babor
Biography Valentina Babor
Valentina Babor
he Munich-born pianist is one of the most promising musical talents of her generation. Now 27 years old, she received her first piano lessons, besides instruction in violin, flute, and singing, at the age of five. At the age of eight, she gave her first piano recital; at twelve, she was accepted as a pre-college student at the University Mozarteum and the "Institute for Promotion of Outstanding Talents" in Salzburg.
Valentina Babor was instructed by Ludmila Gourari, Karl-Heinz Kämmerling, Elisso Wirssaladze and Gerhard Oppitz and receives important suggestions from the Hungarian pianist András Schiff.
2013-2015 she continued her studying as a master student with the Finnish pianist Antti Siirala.
Already at a very early age, the young pianist won a number of first prizes - for instance, at the age of six years, in the competition "Jugend musiziert" and "Klavierpodium der Jugend". Many other prizes followed at international youth competitions: In 1989 and 1999 with the "Münchner Klavierpodium der Jugend", in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007 with the "Grotian Steinweg Piano Competition", as well as with "Jugend musiziert" in the years 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005.
Since her 10th year Valentina Babor has played solo and orchestra concerts on many renowned platforms in Europe and Asia, including Salzburg, Vienna, St. Petersburg, London, Belgrade, Paris, Peking e.t.c. and at various international festivals, such as the "Kissinger Summer " in Bad Kissingen/Germany, the "Braunschweiger Classix Festival", "Festival Internacional de Ushuaia" in Argentina, the "Biennale Film Festival" in Venice, the "Wilhelm Kempff Foundation" in Positano, the "Palau de la Música Catalana" in Barcelona or orchestra debut at the "Aram Khatchaturian Concert Hall" in Yerevan/Armenia or at the legendary Concertgebouw Amsterdam.
As chamber musician she has performed already with Boris Kucharsky, Valeriy Sokolov, Maximilian Hornung, Gia Jashvili, Julian Bliss, Graham Waterhouse, Sebastian Klinger or the „Leipzig String Quartet“ and with many other members of the Munich Philharmonics, the BR-Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian State Opera. Besides her activities as soloist, Valentina Babor founded a new chamber music ensemble in 2012, the EUROPEAN CHAMBER ENSEMBLE Munich. In October 2012 a new CD ("Russian Soul") with the Russian violinist Yury Revich was published in Europe under the ARS Production Label.
The mature musicianship oft he young pianist, linked with her brilliant piano technique, has brought her great recognition since childhood. Thus she was chosen in 1999 as the most promising hope of the rising generation; in 2006 she received from the European cultural endowment foundation "Europa musicale" the classical prize "Rising Stars". In March, 2014 Valentina Babor was nominated by more than 100 candidates worldwide for the „German Piano Award“ Frankfurt. In July 2014 she won the 1st Prize at the International Piano Competition ISCHIA/Italy following with her second solo debut at the "Biennale" in Venice.
In April 2015 Valentina recorded her first crossover album "piano princess", produced by star violinist David Garrett, in New York City, published under DEAG Music. Some months later Valentina opened all open air shows of David Garrett´s crossover tour in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Since then she began to play her own crossover shows and tours with her band in Europe and South America.
At the moment the young pianist is also studying drama and moderation at a privat university in Germany.
