Pianist Named Cultural Ambassador to Canada

On December 15, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada Ihor Ostash attended a concert which included a performance by the young Ukrainian piano virtuoso Serhiy Salov, held under the auspices of the Embassy of Ukraine. Salov performed selections from Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and his own variation on Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, keeping with the program’s festive Christmas theme.

Serhiy Salov, who lives in Montreal, was born in Donetsk (Ukraine). Critics remark that a thoughtful expressiveness resonates from Salov’s soul as the piano keyboard is brought to life. The artist delicately crafts the musical contours of the score from a generous palette of colour. Salov’s exquisite playing is gaining a following in Canada since being awarded the First Grand Prize as well as the People’s Choice Award at the Montreal International Music Competition in 2004. By that time, he had already attained many firsts, commencing with his musical debut at 11 years of age where he performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, followed by studies in Germany and in England where he received his Masters of Arts at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2003.

Numerous awards were garnered at piano competitions as he launched his career internationally. In 2005, Salov was featured on an Analekta CD recording with the chamber music ensemble, I Musici de Montreal in a tribute to Dmitri Shostakovich, titled Shostakovich’s Circle. In 2006, Salov performed in Montreal, Whitehorse, at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, and was a finalist at the Honens Piano Competition in Calgary. This past fall, Salov has undertaken an extensive tour of Quebec, the Atlantic Provinces and British Columbia under the auspices of Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.