27 Year Old Piano Competition Winner to be CSO's Guest Artist

On August 6, 2016, Nikita Mndoyants, a 27-year old from Russia, won the Mixon First Prize at the 2016 Cleveland International Piano Competition after a tight race over the course of nearly two weeks. The Canton Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will be one of the first local orchestras to engage Mndoyants as guest soloist as he launches into what promises to be a very successful professional career. Mr. Mndoyants will perform Prokofiev's passionate Piano Concerto No. 2 with the CSO at Umstattd Performing Arts Hall on the February 25, 2017 MasterWorks concert.

Coming from a family of professional musicians, Nikita Mndoyants began to play piano and compose music at a very young age. He gave his first public recital at age eight, and recorded his first CD (of a live performance in Helsinki) at age 10. Mr. Mndoyants received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory, where he studied composition with Professor Alexander Tchaikovsky and piano with Professor Nikolay Petrov and Professor Alexander Mndoyants. Since 2013 he has taught orchestration, also at the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory. In addition to winning the 2016 CIPC, he has also won first prize at the 2007 Paderewsky International Piano Competition, and was a finalist at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. As a composer, Mr. Mndoyants received first prize at the 2014 Myaskovsky International Competition of Composers.

The Cleveland International Piano Competition is an organization dedicated to supporting the young artists who have made our musical heritage their life's work. This is accomplished through four major programs and events, including the Cleveland International Piano Competition and Festival, the CIPC Young Artists Competition and Institute, the CIPC Concert Series, and ArtsConnect, a music-based community outreach program. The Cleveland International Piano Competition for artists ages 18 to 30, was founded in 1974. It attracts the best young piano talent from around the world to compete for top prizes; engages an audience of 10 to 15,000 over a period of 15 days; and culminates in two sold-out performances at Severance Hall that feature the four finalists performing with The Cleveland Orchestra. The first prize winner of the competition receives a cash award, management services for three years, a New York Recital Debut at Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall and a compact disc recording on the Steinway and Sons label.

Tickets for the Canton Symphony Orchestra concert on February 25, 2017range in price from $28-$48 and are available online atwww.cantonsymphony.org, by phone at 330-452-2094 or in person at the Canton Symphony Orchestra administrative offices in the Zimmermann Symphony Center at 2331 17th Street NW in Canton weekdays 9am-5pm.

Founded in 1937, the Canton Symphony Orchestra is a fully professional ensemble and organization dedicated to performing concerts that enrich, educate and entertain. Under the direction of Gerhardt Zimmermann, the orchestra performs classical, pops, holiday, and educational programs. Most performances are in Umstattd Performing Arts Hall at the Zimmermann Symphony Center 2331 17th Street NW, Canton, Ohio (adjacent to McKinley High School). Parking at the Zimmermann Symphony Center is free. For more information, please visit www.CantonSymphony.org.

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