Behzod Abduraimov

“With prodigious technique and rhapsodic flair, Mr. Abduraimov dispatched the work’s challenges, including burst upon burst of arm-blurring octaves, with eerie command.” (The New York Times)

The 2024/25 season will see Behzod performing with the Bamberger Symphoniker, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España, NDR Radiophilharmonie as part of the Canary Islands Festival, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Sinfonieorchester Basel and Berner Symphonieorchester amongst others. In North America, Behzod appears with the Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Toronto Symphony, and Vancouver Symphony. Elsewhere, he performs with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductors with whom he will collaborate this season include Anja Bihlmaier, Lionel Bringuier, Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Gimeno, Hans Graf,  Jakub Hruša, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Aziz Shokhakimov and Otto Tausk. In August 2024, Behzod marked the tenth anniversary of his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. He will return to California in November 2024 and make two important recital debuts: Cal Performances in Berkeley and Walt Disney Concert Hall presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In past seasons Behzod has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras including Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, Wiener Symphoniker, and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB). He has collaborated with many renowned conductors including Semyon Bychkov, Constantinos Carydis, Gianandrea Noseda, Vasily Petrenko, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, and Juraj Valčuha.

Behzod has appeared multiple times at Carnegie Hall, including twice last season – returning to the Stern Auditorium for a solo recital, followed by a duo recital with Daniel Lozakovich at the Weill Auditorium. He has also been presented by Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Toppan Hall, Tokyo, Seoul Arts Centre, Shanghai Concert Hall, and La Società dei Concerti di Milano. He regularly appears at the leading international festivals including  Aspen, La Roque Antheron, Lucerne,  Ravello, Rheingau, and Verbier.

Behzod’s critically acclaimed recordings have won numerous international awards including the Choc de Classica and Diapason Découverte. Shadows of My Ancestors, his second recording for Alpha Classics, which features works by Ravel, Prokofiev, and Uzbek composer Dilorom Saidaminova, was released in January 2024. It was recognized as a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, shortlisted for a Gramophone Award, and named one of Apple Music’s ‘10 Classical Albums You Must Hear This Month’. 2021 saw the highly successful release of his first recital album for Alpha Classics which included Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. In 2020, two of his albums were nominated for the 2020 Opus Klassik awards in multiple categories: Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Lucerne Symphony Orchestra under James Gaffigan, recorded on the composer’s own piano from Villa Senar for Sony Classical, and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 with Concertgebouw Orchestra, for the RCO live label.  Behzod’s recitals have been streamed and broadcast on international channels, including medici.tv, and a DVD of his 2016 BBC Proms debut (2016) with the Münchner Philharmoniker was released in 2018.

Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1990, Behzod began the piano aged five as a pupil of Tamara Popovich at Uspensky State Central Lyceum in Tashkent. In 2009, he won first prize at the London International Piano Competition with Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3. He is Artist-in-Residence at the International Center for Music at Park University where studied with Stanislav Ioudenitch.