 Igor Raykhelson was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was admitted to the Leningrad-Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in 1976 where he majored in both Classical and Jazz Piano.
Early in his career he formed a jazz quartet, The Emerging Stars who toured extensively throughout the former Soviet Union. Appealing to audiences all over Russia with their talent and sense of musical style, Igor was able to develop his love for music in a variety of musical art forms.
In 1979 Igor moved to New York City and began his piano studies with the famous Professor Alexander Edelman. Igor went on to tour with such jazz greats as Eddie Gomez, Joe Lock and Russia's leading saxophone player, Igor Butman. Through out this period Igor continued his study of classical piano and performed chamber music with orchestras and as a soloist.
Igor subsequently met and performed with legendary violist, Yuri Bashmet, credited in being the world's greatest living viola player. Igor, inspired by the brilliance of Yuri Bashmet's artistry composed several pieces of music for him and subsequently they continue their successful musical collaborations to this day.
In 2003 Igor debuted his composition Adagio for Viola and String Orchestra performed by Yuri Bashmet and The Moscow Soloist Orchestra in Carnegie Hall to rave reviews ("the American premier of Largo: by Igor Raykhelson, turned out to be the unexpected highlight of the evening"...NY Times Review April 2003).
Mr. Raykhelson continued to combine his love of Jazz and Classical Music through his expressive composition entitled Jazz Suite (2005), performed at Lincoln Center February 2006. This performance blended the mastery of Yuri Bashmet, viola and the Moscow Soloist Orchestra along side the famous saxophonist, Igor Butman leading his Big Band Jazz Orchestra. Igor Raykhelson fulfilled his role to perfection as both composer/conductor as well as pianist for the performance.
The American debut of Jazz Suite at Lincoln Center was a huge success attended by a full audience sold out days in advance.
Jazz Suite is a perfect blend of musical styles for both composition and performance between Chamber and Jazz Orchestras. Igor was noted for accomplishing this skill by credited reviews ("Mr. Raykhelson's suite marked the only part of the concert that integrated the two ensembles full"...Nate Chinen, NY Times Music Review, Feb. 24, 2006).
Jazz Suite is well loved by musicians internationally and continues to be performed in major concert halls and festivals. Continuing his successful career in composition, Igor's Small Symphony for Strings debuted at the Bahamas Music Festival January 2006. Island newspapers compared his strength in melodic composition to that of Tchaikovsky.
In June 2006 at Classics on the Mountain Chamber Music Festival, New York, where Igor acts as Artistic & Music Director, Small Symphony for Strings made its American debut performed to perfection by Yuri Bashmet on viola conducting The Moscow Soloist Orchestra. ("Raykhelson's Small Symphony for Strings opens with traditional allegro in sonata form, sweet and approachable with a five note lyrical theme developed by violins, and violas and echoed by cellos"...James Cotter, Times Herald Record Newspaper, June 28,2006).
The piece was received with great enthusiasm by the audience with Igor receiving a standing ovation.
Other Compositions of Note: Viola Sonata (1999), Cello Sonata (2001), Piano Trio (2003), Piano quartet (2004), Piano Sonata (2004), Violin Sonata (2005), Clarinet Concerto (2005), Viola Concerto (2005), Small Symphony for Strings (2005), Jazz Suite (2005).
Mr. Raykhelson performs regularly at major Festivals in Russia, Europe and the US, and is a guest artist/composer at The Elba Island Music Festival, Italy and the Niagara Falls Music Festival, New York to name a few. He was the Music Director of the Bahamas Music Festival 2006 (supported by the Nassau Music Society) and continues as Artistic Director of Classics on the Mountain Music Festival, New York.
Mr. Raykhelson is currently finishing a winter/spring tour entitled Modern Romance in the Cross-Over medium; Jazz meets Classical. Performing Chamber Music and Jazz Cross-Over concerts internationally; Mr. Raykhelson appears regularly with such renown stars as Yuri Bashmet, Igor Butman, Julian Milkis, Elena Revich, and Boris Andrianov.
Mr. Raykhelson is hailed by peers as one of the leading international composers of the contemporary Neo Romantic Movement. His music is becoming increasingly in demand and performed around the globe.
His music is published by Alphonse Leduc, France, as of 2007 and Muzyka Publishing House, Moscow. He records with Toccata Classics, England and Impromptu Productions, Inc., New York City.
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