Biography
Guitarist Yuri Liberzon settled permanently in the United States after completing his advanced training there and has since performed regularly at prominent concert halls across the country. In addition to his performing career, he maintains a strong commitment to teaching. His recordings have appeared on the Soundset and Naxos imprints, the latter of which issued Piazzolla: Music for Guitar in 2024.
Born in Novosibirsk, Siberia, in 1982 during the final decade of the Soviet Union, Liberzon grew up in a household where his father played guitar. At age five his mother brought him to a local music school for an assessment; although the evaluator recommended violin or piano, the young Liberzon insisted on guitar and secured a place even though the instrument was normally reserved for students nine and older. When he turned ten the family relocated to Israel, where he spent the next six years studying with Yaron Hassan. In 2000 he moved to the United States to work with Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory in Boston, earning both a bachelor’s degree and a graduate performance diploma. He later completed a master’s degree at Yale University under Benjamin Verdery. After finishing his studies he obtained permanent U.S. residency through the Alien of Extraordinary Ability classification. His first solo album, Ascension, appeared in 2015.
Liberzon has presented recitals at major American institutions, frequently on college and university stages, among them the 92nd Street Y in New York, Florida State University, Oregon State University, and Murov Music College in Novosibirsk. He has performed concertos and chamber works with several Northern California ensembles, including the Diablo Symphony Orchestra, the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra, and the Gold Coast Chamber Players, and his playing has been broadcast on multiple National Public Radio outlets. Additional recordings include a 2022 Naxos release devoted to Konstantin Vassiliev and the 2024 Piazzolla collection, which also featured his former classmate Piotr Pakhomkin. As an educator he serves as professor of guitar at California State University, Stanislaus, and regularly conducts masterclasses at institutions such as Florida State University, the Katy Guitar Guild, Murov Music College in Novosibirsk, and Portland State University.
Born in Novosibirsk, Siberia, in 1982 during the final decade of the Soviet Union, Liberzon grew up in a household where his father played guitar. At age five his mother brought him to a local music school for an assessment; although the evaluator recommended violin or piano, the young Liberzon insisted on guitar and secured a place even though the instrument was normally reserved for students nine and older. When he turned ten the family relocated to Israel, where he spent the next six years studying with Yaron Hassan. In 2000 he moved to the United States to work with Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory in Boston, earning both a bachelor’s degree and a graduate performance diploma. He later completed a master’s degree at Yale University under Benjamin Verdery. After finishing his studies he obtained permanent U.S. residency through the Alien of Extraordinary Ability classification. His first solo album, Ascension, appeared in 2015.
Liberzon has presented recitals at major American institutions, frequently on college and university stages, among them the 92nd Street Y in New York, Florida State University, Oregon State University, and Murov Music College in Novosibirsk. He has performed concertos and chamber works with several Northern California ensembles, including the Diablo Symphony Orchestra, the Tahoe Symphony Orchestra, and the Gold Coast Chamber Players, and his playing has been broadcast on multiple National Public Radio outlets. Additional recordings include a 2022 Naxos release devoted to Konstantin Vassiliev and the 2024 Piazzolla collection, which also featured his former classmate Piotr Pakhomkin. As an educator he serves as professor of guitar at California State University, Stanislaus, and regularly conducts masterclasses at institutions such as Florida State University, the Katy Guitar Guild, Murov Music College in Novosibirsk, and Portland State University.
Albums
