Yuri Blinov
President, The International Society of Pianists and Composers

Yuri Blinov was born in Minsk, Belarus and studied in the State Music Gymnasium-College. Yuri made his first important public performance at the age of nine in the Minsk Philharmonic Hall and in a year he performed with orchestra in the same venue. Being just twelve y.o. he had a debut in the Great Philharmonic Hall in Leningrad (St-Petersburg) with Belarus State Symphony featuring Shostakovich Concerto # 2.
In his early teenage Yuri won the fifth prize in the Young Pianists Competition of the Soviet Union and placed third in the 1st Jasep Vitols International Piano Competition in Riga. At age of 17 he won the first prize of the 1st Prokofiev International Competition in St-Petersburg.

Yuri Blinov completed his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Belarusian Academy of Music. Shortly after that Yuri received the Lili Kraus Scholarship and came to study in Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX for the Artist Diploma program. He was among the top 30 pianists competing in the 2001 Van Cliburn International Competition and has won several prizes of other significant competitions in U.S. including first prize of 2001 Piano MTNA Competition. In 2002 Yuri took part in the cultural program of the XIX Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City - he gave a recital in the mansion of the Governor of Utah for honored guests of the Games.

Yuri has made big concert tours in Russia and Japan followed by performance in the Scriabin Anniversary Festival in Moscow and a series of recitals in England, including debut in London (Steinway Hall). Other engagements took him to Poland (Chopin Festival in Duszniki-Zdròj), Italy (Busoni Festival), Belgium, Germany, China and the USA, he has been performing extensively in former Soviet countries as well and has been a frequent soloist with the Belarus State Symphony and the St-Petersburg Philharmonic.

He has also earned achievements in the field of composition. He was a prizewinner of the Youth Assemblies of Arts International Competition in Moscow and Diploma recepient in 2003 Prokofiev International Composition Competition. In 2000 his "Impromptu and Fugue" was selected to be a commissioned work for the Minsk International Piano Competition.

Currently Yuri Blinov is a DMA candidate at the Eastman School of Music. His latest performing project done in the fall 2008 included complete piano sonatas by Alexander Scriabin in two recitals. The DVD with this daring performance will be released and available in January 2009.