Irina Elkina

Irina Elkina is an internationally recognized concert pianist, known particularly for duo performances with her twin sister Julia, with whom she brings brilliant interpretations of two-piano repertoire. Together with Julia she is a winner of the Citta di Marsala Competition in Italy and the 4th Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition. They have performed at venues such as the Ordway Center in St. Paul and Lincoln Center in New York, and have appeared at numerous festivals, including Ravinia, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, and Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest. The American Record Guide has praised Irina and Julia for their "truly remarkable oneness" while recognizing that "each is a formidable pianist in her own right." Irina is a graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia) and holds a doctoral degree in Piano Performance from the University of Minnesota. She has previously served as the chair of the Keyboard Department at the MacPhail Center for Music, where she currently teaches piano. Irina is also on the faculty of the University of St. Thomas. She has performed with such conductors as Hugh Wolff and Bobby McFerrin, and her recent solo projects include performing Beethoven's Diabelli Variations at the Park Square Theater's production of 33 Variations. She is an active chamber music collaborator and has worked with various Twin Cities musicians on a wide variety of repertoires, ranging from baroque to contemporary music.