Polina Fedotova, Professor of piano at Moscow State University (MSU) and teacher at Moscow Conservatory, made her American debut performing at the Second Annual Lois R. Klein Piano Recital Series on November 14, 2008. Her recital was performed to an audience of faculty, administrators, students, friends of the college as well as piano music teachers from the Buffalo and WNY community. She performed selections of music of Mozart, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rachmaninoff.  The audience was delighted with her concert; she performed a Hungarian Dance by Brahms for an encore.

On Saturday, November 15, students from the Buffalo State Music Department were invited to a Master Class. These advanced level students performed for the accomplished pianist and professor as well as her colleagues from the School of Arts and Humanities from MSU. Allowing nearly one-half hour per student, she listened intently to each one giving specific suggestions on how to improve their performance. The class was very well attended and well received.

Polina Fedotova, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, born was in Moscow into a family of highly talented musicians. Her father, Victor is conductor of the Marinsky (Kirov) Theater of St. Petersburg and her brother is an accomplished violinist. This accomplished pianist is frequently referenced as a Russian National Treasure. Beginning her piano studies at an early age, Fedotova has studied with respected Russian professors’ of music and received multiple awards for her prowess as a pianist.

A soloist of the Moscow State Philharmonic Society, Fedotova concertizes throughout Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Europe, and teaches at the Moscow Conservatory. The compositions of Chopin occupy a special place in her repertoire, and her programs often include works by Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Ravel, and Prokofiev.

This event, held at Rockwell Hall Performing Arts Center, was coordinated as a result of the partnership between Moscow State University (MSU) and Buffalo State College. The School of Arts and Humanities and the SUNY Research Foundation Buffalo State College was host to Professor Fedotova, the Dean of Arts and Humanities, the Vice Dean of Arts as well as music department faculty from MSU.