Pianist Bezhod Abduraimov emerged as a popular specialist in virtuoso repertory after major prizes early in his career. His concerts frequently include Russian works but also extend to Liszt, Saint-Saëns, and other pianistic virtuoso standards. Abduraimov was born on September 11, 1990, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, then part of the Soviet Union. He took up the piano at age six, studying with his mother, a concert pianist. Showing talent, he was admitted to classes with Tamara Popovich at the Uspensky State Central Lyceum. When he was 15, Abduraimov moved to the U.S. for studies at the International Center for Music at Park University in Kansas City, Missouri. He flourished, and in 2009, he scored the first in a series of breakthroughs with a win at the London International Piano Competition, performing one of his specialties, the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26. Further attention came when Abduraimov seized the moment in high-profile substitution slots for Martha Argerich in the same Prokofiev concerto with Charles Dutoit and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, in 2014, 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 returned to the Hollywood Bowl twice more with the Philharmonic. Signed to the Decca label, Abduraimov released his debut album, featuring solo piano works by Prokofiev, Liszt, and Saint-Saëns, in 2012. Abduraimov has gone on to perform with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the Mariinsky Orchestra, and other top ensembles in many countries. He is a popular attraction at summer festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival, Verbier Festival, and Ravinia Festival. Abduraimov's recital credits include appearances at both Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall at New York's Carnegie Hall. In 2014, Abduraimov issued his concerto recording debut on Decca, performing works by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. He has also recorded for RCO Live, Sony Classical, and Alpha, where he released a recital album featuring works by Debussy, Chopin, and Mussorgsky in 2021. In 2024, Abduraimov returned on Alpha, releasing the album Shadows of My Ancestors; it included, in addition to works by Prokofiev and Ravel, a cycle of programmatic instrumental works by composer Dilorom Saidaminova. ~ James Manheim, Rovi