Introducing Denis Zhdanov, a renowned concert pianist and accomplished winner of multiple international competitions. With a deep passion for teaching, Denis brings a unique approach to piano instruction.
Key elements of his teaching philosophy include:
- Unlocking the Secrets of Piano Physiology: Discover the art of tension-free playing, enabling you to achieve a fluid and effortless technique.
- Stylistic Mastery: Receive expert guidance and invaluable advice on interpreting various musical styles, allowing you to express yourself authentically.
- Cultivating Creativity and Musicality: Dive into the creative aspects of interpretation, honing your musicality and developing a delicate touch that captivates audiences.
- Evidence-Based Learning Optimization: Benefit from cutting-edge research and scientific data as Denis tailors learning strategies to maximize your progress, ensuring you stay at the forefront of piano education.
Join Denis Zhdanov's transformative piano journey and unlock your full musical potential today.
As a concert pianist, who once faced serious physical health problems caused by a massive muscle overuse, I had a perfect chance to develop, test, and apply findings about efficiency and safety of piano playing. This painful experience turned out to be the most beneficial one for both, my performing and especially teaching activities, because it provoked me to deeply analyze and restructure my entire technique, study the physiology of piano playing, develop new practicing ways, and get the necessary knowledge and experience in order to recognize the root of any technical issue and be able to find an efficient way to solve it.
Such a technique optimization approach includes various aspects:
- understanding how to use the whole arm and body as a unit
- applying the weight of the arm accordingly in order to reduce the tension and avoid working with isolated fingers
- motion coordination of the body parts in order to resolve difficulties
- adjusting the hand posture
- understanding how the efficiency of physical motion can benefit musical expressivity
Of course, music is not just about technique. We need a proper technique not per se, but in order to express ourselves freely through the language of music.
Apart of providing students with clear instructions, my task is to introduce them to the joyful experience of embodiment of the creative ideas into musical sounds.
Each piece is a captivating story or a journey.
Hi, I’m your piano instructor
On this website you will find comprehensive tutorials dedicated to particular pieces, and video lessons on the most important topics about piano technique.
MY TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
2024 The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria
Substitute Professorship
2021 - 2022 The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Austria
Senior Piano Lecturer, Course for Highly Gifted Students
2020 Hochschule Luzern-Musik, Switzerland
Assistant Professor, Studio of Konstantin Lifschitz
2009 - present private lessons to dozens of students of all ages and levels from all around the globe, in-person and online.
MY MUSIC EDUCATION
2017-2020 Hochschule Luzern-Musik, Switzerland,
Master of Arts in Music, Major Solo Performance with K. Lifschitz
2015-2017 Hochschule Luzern-Musik, Switzerland,
Master of Arts in Music, Major Performance Klassik with Konstantin Lifschitz
2014-2015 Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK
Artist Diploma in Solo Performance with Graham Scott
2011-2015 Scuola di Musica Fiesole Italy,
Corso di Perfezionamento with Elisso Virsaladze
2009-2013 Imola Piano Academy Italy,
Corso di Perfezionamento with Leonid Margarius
2007-2012 National Music Academy of Ukraine,
Bachelor/Master of Arts in Music with Boris Fedorov
2004-2007 Kyiv Lysenko Special Music School, Ukraine,
with Tatiana Abayeva
1998-2004 Chernihiv Music School No. 1
with Valentina Danilova
Furthermore, I have had the privilege of participating in numerous Master Classes led by acclaimed pianists and esteemed piano professors from all corners of the world, including M. Pressler, W. Manz, A. Kobrin, D. Alexeev, M. Beroff, K. Hellwig, K.-H. Kämmerling, A. Jasinski, and many others.
