My performance of the Twelve Etudes Op.10 by Chopin holds a special place: Vladimir Tiagunov

All maestros have one thing in common. They love their art above everything and practice it till they are near-perfect at it. Achieving a maestro status is no easy feat. You need to dedicate yourself to the art, train hard and have enough perseverance to ensure you are the best at it. The same was the case with Vladimir Tiagunov—acclaimed pianist, chamber musician, and piano professor.

Tiagunov was lucky to be trained since the tender age of 6. His father, an engineer by profession, had a good ear for the piano and taught his son the basics. His parents also encouraged him to build his mastery of the piano and practice on his own. And as fate would have it, Tiagunov fell in love with the piano and was very interested in excelling at it.

He enrolled in the Nizhny Tagil College of Music in Russia where he would begin his lifelong journey with the instrument. Just three years later, at the age of 9, he would perform a solo piece for the first time.

Tiagunov's passion for playing the piano grew as he learnt to convey a range of emotions through music. He went on to further his musical education at the Chelyabinsk State Academy of Culture and Arts, Russia, under the tutelage of the world-famous musician, Professor Yevgeny Levitan. He completed the course with flying colors.

However, as luck would have it, his path to success was paved with many obstacles. His professional studies suffered due to problems surfacing in his personal life. This hampered his concentration and affected his studies, but he rose above these problems and excelled at his education thanks to his undying passion for playing the piano.

All of that hard work paid off in 2010 when Tiagunov won his first award at the international level - the '21st Century Art' International Music Competition in Ukraine, just as he turned 21. After this feat was achieved, there was no looking back. He went on to acquire a Master's degree and then moved to New York, to hone his skills.

He won many accolades and performed at several important performance venues along the way. He joined the Artist Diploma program at the Long Island Conservatory of Music in Albertson, New York, under the expert guidance of Professor Tamara Poddubnaya.

Vladimir Tiagunov has travelled all over Europe, Russia and the United States as a solo performer and chamber musician. He performed complicated pieces like Mozart's Fantasy No. 3, Bach's Partita No. 2, Wanderer Fantasy by Schubert, Beethoven's Sonata No. 14 and Chopin's 12 Etudes Op.10. He especially had the pleasure of performing the most difficult of Chopin's Etudes one after the other.

He quotes, "I've played the etudes a few times at recitals, including my graduation concert at Chelyabinsk State Institute of Culture in Russia." This revolutionary style of playing the piano has changed Tiagunov's life. Although many acclaimed pianists have attempted the etudes by Chopin in their repertoire, only a few can perform all 12 Etudes Opus 10 in a cycle at a concert, simply because it is immensely challenging to do so.

Tiagunov started his teaching career when he set out to be a solo pianist. He currently spends his time between performing and teaching. He teaches at the Long Island Conservatory, ensuring the magical language of music continues to enrich others' lives.