American pianist Maxim Lando has been a star on the rise.
A recipient of the prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Award, a First Prize winner at the New York Franz Liszt International Competition, and winner of the 2021/22 Vendome Prize, amongst many other top tier awards and accolades, Lando has garnered international attention on some of the world’s largest stages as a soloist, chamber musician and featured guest artist.
All by the age of 20.
Lando’s flurry of performances and competitions come in addition to studies at the prestigious Julliard School in New York, which might have one wondering how he manages to juggle it all.
“It’s a question that I’ve been trying to figure out myself for a while,” says Lando from his dorm room. Finding a work/study balance has certainly been a challenge though he is thankful to have had longstanding support from his teachers and instructors as he pursues his career ambitions.
"It’s such a joy, especially when you get to be out there performing. I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Having studied with and performed alongside some of the greatest names in recent memory – Lang Lang, Daniel Hope, and Chick Corea, for example – the down-to-earth phenom recognizes the unique opportunities he’s had early in his career.
“I’m so grateful for everything all three of them have done,” says Lando.
All roads, seemingly, lead back to Winnipeg
Originally scheduled as part of the 2020 season, Lando closes out the current Virtuosi Concerts year with his formal debut in the city... one to which he can trace his own roots.
As it turns out, the Long Island-born Lando has made regular trips to Winnipeg over the years to visit his grandmother, who calls Winnipeg home after immigrating from Ukraine.
“My dad grew up in Winnipeg... he’s from Kyiv originally and then (the family) moved to Winnipeg (when he was an) early age,” says Lando.
Virtuosity and velocity on display
A crackerjack player, Lando sports a finesse and brilliance beyond his years. Rachmaninoff, Kapustin, Shostakovich, and Horowitz all feature on the program planned for the Winnipeg audience.
“It’s a collection of a lot of pieces that I’ve grown up playing over the years,” explains Lando. “Pieces that I’ve embodied in my system.”.
A few of his own arrangements also appear, with music by Mozart serving as a sort of palate cleanser in the middle of the program.
“I just think it’s a fun little bridge in between all these heavy Romantic, ultra-virtuosic works,” he says.
Maxim Lando performs in “Maximum Velocity” on Sunday, April 30 at 3 p.m. The concert takes place at the University of Winnipeg’s Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall.
For tickets and more details, visit: www.virtuosiconcerts.ca