Anastasia Kozhushko   (piano)

Anastasia Kozhushko was born in 1988 in Ukraine. Her professional music education she received at the Special Music school for gifted children in Kharkiv (Ukraine). She studied in Ukraine with professor Nina Rudenko (1995-1999) and professor Nataliya Melnikova (1999-2005).

From 2005 is the student of the Royal Conservatory of Ghent under professor Vitaly Samoshko (2005-2008), Johan Duijck (from 2008).

In september 2008, she entered the Queen Elisabeth College of Music in the soloist class of Abdel Rachman el Basha.

She is the first prize winner of the 24th Smetana International Piano Competition in the Czech Republic (2001) with the special Prize for the best performance of Bedrich Smetana and also she is the first prize winner of the “Alter Musica” International Music Competition in Spain (Cartagena, 2000)

Since the age of six, she has participated in various concerts and festivals throughout Ukraine, Russia, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and Japan. In 2001 she had two recital concerts at the “De Musica del Mediterreneo” International Music Festival (Spain). In 2002, she performed in the Kremlin of Moscow on a concert in the conjunction with the “Culture for Third Millennium Generation – 21st century,” and additionally performed in the Russian-German House as a participant on concert programs of the International Charitable Fund of Vladimir Spivakov. In the same year, Anastasia received first prize in the “Young Personality of the Year” competition in Ukraine.

In 2000 she performed the Beethoven’s 1^st Concerto with the Kharkiv Philarmonic Orchestra under the direction of highly acclaimed Ukrainian conductor Igor Shapovalov. Furthermore, in 2001, she performed the Saint- Saents Concerto n° 2 with the Kharkiv Philarmonic Orchestra under award winning conductor Dmitry Liss, principal conductor of the Ural Philarmonic Orchestra. She also received the opportunity to perform the Saint-Saents Concerto with Kharkiv Philarmonic Orchestra in the Kharkiv Opera House with Igor Shapovalov conducting. In 2003, she also performed the second and third movements of the Saint-Saens Concerto for the National Philarmonic Society of the Ukraine in Kiev with the Academic Symphonic Orchestra under the direction of nationally acclaimed Ukranian conductor Alexey Gulyanitzky.

Furthermore, she performed the Rachmaninov Concerto n°1 for the Kharkiv Philarmonic Society with the Kharkiv Philarmonic Orchestra under the direction of principal conductor Yury Yanko as well as with principal conductor of the Moscow Philarmonic Orchestra, Eduard Dyadyura. In 2004, she performed Rahmaninov’s Concerto n°4 with the Kharkiv Orchestra “Slobozhanschina”, under the direction of its principal conductor, Shaliko Paltadzhyan. She also performed Chopin’s Concerto with the Kharkiv Orchestra “Slobozhanschina” with Dmitry Morozov, distinguished conductor of the Kharkiv Symphonic Orchestra and Kharkiv Opera House. She also gave a solo recital dedicated to the 150th anniversary of “Steinway and Sons” firm (2003).

In 2006 she performed Concerto n°1 of Frйdйric Devreese with the Harmonic orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Ghent with famous composer and conductor Dirk Brosse in the concert hall of Bijloke (Ghent). In 2007 she performed F. Devreese’s  Concerto with the Harmonic orchestra of the Royal Conservatory of Ghent with conductor Dirk Brosse in  New Year Concert 2007  in the concert hall of Bijloke.

In 2007 she performed a solo recital in the concert hall of Flagey (Brussel), the same year she gave a solo recital in Academia Belgica (Rome).  In 2005 and 2006 she took part in the International Chamber Music master class and festival for young musicians “Musica Mundi”  in Genval, Belgium.

In 2008 she won third prize in the National Piano Competition “Excellentia” in Brussel.

The same year she gave the chamber music concert with the Moscow Chamber Academy and participated in several concerts organized by the Prinses Christina Concours in Maastricht and Den Haag (Festival “Haagse Muziek Driedaagse”).

She took master classes with pianists Vladimir Krainev, Dmitri Bashkirov, Alexei Nasedkin and Plamena Mangova.

During the 2000 to 2005 seasons, she has taken part in festivals “Music – our common house” (Kharkiv) and “On a visit at Aivazovsky”(Feodosiya). Anastasia has produced a number of recordings for radio and television broadcast, and has received critical acclaim from press on both a national and international scale.