Internationally acclaimed pianist and Yamaha Artist Nikita Fitenko has performed recitals and with orchestras in the former Soviet Union, Europe, Asia, and South and North America. He has appeared as a soloist with such orchestras as St. Petersburg Capella Symphony, Russian Chamber Philharmonic, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow, St. Petersburg State Conservatory Orchestra, State Hermitage Orchestra, Slovak National Philharmonic, Corvallis Symphony Orchestra, Lewisville Symphony, Rapides Symphony, Northeast Texas Symphony, and Northwestern Symphony Orchestra. His future engagements this year besides the concerts in the US will bring him to Italy, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.

While performing a wide and diverse repertoire, Nikita Fitenko is an acknowledged master of Russian piano music. He recorded three CDs for Altarus Records of works by leading contemporary Russian composers. His initial recording of solo piano works by Georgy Sviridov(1997) and his two-CD set of music by Sergei Slonimsky (2000) have garnered rave reviews from the international music press. Fanfare Music Review wrote, "Fitenko plays magnificently!" Slonimsky himself described Fitenko's interpretation of his piano music as "outstanding." He also added, "It is very vivid, imaginative, virtuosic, fascinating, and pianistically brilliant." Mr. Fitenko's latest recording - Scriabin's Piano Concerto with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow was released on Classical Records label in December 2007.

In addition to solo recitals, Nikita Fitenko performs extensively in piano duo with Katerina Zaitseva. Hailed by critics for their "superlative sound, superlative interpretation, and superlative pianism…" (European Piano Teachers Association Journal: July 2006), the duo has performed worldwide with most recent appearances at the Yamaha Hall (NYC), Piano Duo Series (Tokyo, Japan), Nancyphonies Music Festival (Nancy, France), University of Florida Young Pianists Festival, and Berkeley University (California, USA). Their critically acclaimed CD featuring works for piano four hands by Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms has been released internationally by the Classical Records label and is available through Amazon.

Native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Nikita Fitenko graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory with a citation for excellence given to only five other graduates in the last fifty years. After receiving the Anton Rubinstein Memorial Award he came to study to the US pursuing his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of North Texas. His principal teachers included Roman Lebedev, Igor Lebedev, and Joseph Banowetz.

Nikita Fitenko is a prizewinner of several competitions including Belarusian International Piano Competition (Minsk, Belarus), Beethoven Piano Competition (Memphis, TN), and Houston Symphony National Young Artist Competition (Houston, TX) among others.

Dr. Fitenko has been invited to serve on many international piano competition juries including 2003 World International Piano Competition in Cincinnati, OH; 2008 Rachmaninov International Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia; 2008 Nordic International Piano Competition in Malmo, Sweden; 2008 Andorra International Piano Competition; 2009 American Pianists Association's Discovery Week Piano Competition in Indianapolis, IN; and 2010 Premio internazionale pianistico "A.Scriabin" in Grosetto, Italy.

Currently, Dr. Fitenko holds a position of Associate Professor of Piano at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and co-directs the Washington International Piano Festival (the second festival will take place on CUA's campus in Washington, DC, July 24-31, 2010). Prior to that he was Associate Professor and Coordinator of Keyboard Area at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Mr. Fitenko is the founder and artistic director of the Louisiana International Piano Competition as well as one of the founders of the Florida International Piano Competition (formerly Orlando International Piano Competition). Until 2008 he was also the artistic director of the Louisiana Piano Series International held on NSU's campus.

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