Yuri Rozum
Encyclopedia
Yuri Rozum is a Russian-born concert pianist and philanthropist
.
Rozum was born to famous musical parents. His father was baritone
Alexander Rozum and his mother was Galina Rozhdestvenskaya, conductor of the Russian Academic Folk Choir. Both were recipients of the title of People's Artist of the USSR
.
When Rozum was only age seven, his mother discovered that he had perfect absolute and relative pitch, leading to his immediate enrollment in the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory
where he would later study under Lev Naumov
and Yevgeni Malinin, themselves students of Heinrich Neuhaus
.
Rozum developed an interest in philosophy
by age fourteen, becoming especially interested in the works of the exiled Nikolai Berdyayev. From there, Rozum became extremely spiritual, leading life as an ascetic and, at the risk of his own freedom, immersing himself in the works of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
In 1975, at the age of twenty-one, Rozum was selected to compete in the Queen Elizabeth Piano Competition in Brussels
. Due to political reasons, Soviet authorities denied his visa and almost immediately drafted him into the military where he would be totally separated from performing on piano for eighteen months.
By 1979, changes in policy allowed him to travel abroad, but mostly within Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe. After the fall of the Soviet Union
, Rozum immediately began performing in Western venues.
Rozum made history in 2003 when he became the first solo pianist to perform a recital in the main hall of the Russian Federation Government House.
In 2001, Russian president Vladimir Putin
honored Rozum with a medal of the Supreme Soviet
and the title of “People's Honored Artist of Russia.” Polls taken by Russian media place Rozum within that country's list of "Top Ten Classical Musicians in Russia."
Rozum founded his Yuri Rozum International Charitable Foundation in April 2005 as a means of providing scholarships to promising young musicians as well as the promotion of major annual music festivals.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Rozum was born to famous musical parents. His father was baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Alexander Rozum and his mother was Galina Rozhdestvenskaya, conductor of the Russian Academic Folk Choir. Both were recipients of the title of People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
.
When Rozum was only age seven, his mother discovered that he had perfect absolute and relative pitch, leading to his immediate enrollment in the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
where he would later study under Lev Naumov
Lev Naumov
Lev Nikolayevich Naumov was a Russian classical pianist, composer and educator. Received a title of People's Artist of Russia and was nicknamed the "Godfather of the Russian piano school"....
and Yevgeni Malinin, themselves students of Heinrich Neuhaus
Heinrich Neuhaus
Heinrich Gustavovich Neuhaus was a Soviet pianist and pedagogue of German extraction. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory from 1922 to 1964. He was made a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1956...
.
Rozum developed an interest in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
by age fourteen, becoming especially interested in the works of the exiled Nikolai Berdyayev. From there, Rozum became extremely spiritual, leading life as an ascetic and, at the risk of his own freedom, immersing himself in the works of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
In 1975, at the age of twenty-one, Rozum was selected to compete in the Queen Elizabeth Piano Competition in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Due to political reasons, Soviet authorities denied his visa and almost immediately drafted him into the military where he would be totally separated from performing on piano for eighteen months.
By 1979, changes in policy allowed him to travel abroad, but mostly within Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe. After the fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Rozum immediately began performing in Western venues.
Rozum made history in 2003 when he became the first solo pianist to perform a recital in the main hall of the Russian Federation Government House.
In 2001, Russian president Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
honored Rozum with a medal of the Supreme Soviet
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments...
and the title of “People's Honored Artist of Russia.” Polls taken by Russian media place Rozum within that country's list of "Top Ten Classical Musicians in Russia."
Rozum founded his Yuri Rozum International Charitable Foundation in April 2005 as a means of providing scholarships to promising young musicians as well as the promotion of major annual music festivals.