Recognised as one of today’s most gifted musicians, Ignat Solzhenitsyn enjoys an international career as both conductor and pianist. Renowned for his lyrical, thoughtful interpretations, he has earned critical acclaim from audiences and critics around the world.
Born in Moscow under communism, Solzhenitsyn left the Soviet Union at the age of 18 months, joining his father in exile in Zurich before his family settled in rural Vermont, where they lived for nearly two decades. Alongside his musical career, he has played a significant role in preserving and interpreting his father’s legacy, serving as the translator and editor of several English-language works by Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, including We Have Ceased to See the Purpose: Essential Speeches of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. In 1993, he returned to Russia to perform as a soloist on a concert tour led by Mstislav Rostropovich.
Solzhenitsyn has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and is Conductor Laureate of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. He has appeared with major orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, including the symphonies of Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Seattle, and Toronto, as well as the Mariinsky Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. His collaborators include Richard Goode, Gary Graffman, Gidon Kremer, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Garrick Ohlsson, Mstislav Rostropovich, and Mitsuko Uchida.
A recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Ignat Solzhenitsyn serves on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music.
