Behzod Abduraimov

After securing prominent competition victories at the start of his professional path, pianist Bezhod Abduraimov quickly earned acclaim for his command of technically demanding repertoire. His programs often highlight Russian scores while also encompassing Liszt, Saint-Saëns, and other established showcases of pianistic virtuosity.

Born September 11, 1990, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan—then within the Soviet Union—Abduraimov began piano studies at age six under his mother, herself a concert pianist. Demonstrating early promise, he entered instruction with Tamara Popovich at the Uspensky State Central Lyceum. At fifteen he relocated to the United States to train at the International Center for Music at Park University in Kansas City, Missouri. There he thrived, achieving his initial major breakthrough in 2009 by winning the London International Piano Competition with a performance of one of his signature pieces, the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26. Additional notice followed when he stepped into high-profile engagements in place of Martha Argerich for the same Prokofiev concerto alongside Charles Dutoit and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and, in 2014, substituting for Yefim Bronfman in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23, at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He has since returned to the Hollywood Bowl on two further occasions with the same orchestra. Under contract with Decca, Abduraimov issued his first album in 2012, presenting solo works by Prokofiev, Liszt, and Saint-Saëns.

He has subsequently appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and numerous other leading ensembles across multiple countries. Summer festivals have also become regular venues, among them the Aspen Music Festival, Verbier Festival, and Ravinia Festival. Recital engagements have taken him to both Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Abduraimov’s first concerto recording appeared on Decca in 2014, devoted to works by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Additional releases have come via RCO Live, Sony Classical, and Alpha, the latter issuing a 2021 recital disc containing music by Debussy, Chopin, and Mussorgsky. In 2024 he returned to Alpha with the album Shadows of My Ancestors, which juxtaposed pieces by Prokofiev and Ravel with a cycle of programmatic instrumental works by composer Dilorom Saidaminova.