Sophia Agranovich

Sophia Agranovich was born in Chernivtsi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (modern-day Ukraine). Her father was a dentist and her mother was an instructor of the English language and her first piano teacher. Agranovich began formal piano lessons at age five. At six she was accepted to Chernivtsi School of Music and gave her first public concert.[6] Her teachers were Anna Stolyarevich and Alexander Edelmann (both peers of Vladimir Horowitz and disciples of Felix Blumenfeld and Heinrich Neuhaus). At age 10 Agranovich won the Ukrainian Young Artists Competition (now known as the Mykola Lysenko International Music Competition), as that year's youngest participant. Her concerts were broadcast on national TV and radio stations.[2]

Agranovich graduated from Chernivtsi School of Music in 1971. After immigrating with her family to the United States at age 15, Agranovich entered The Juilliard School Pre-College in New York City on a full scholarship in the class of Professor Sascha Gorodnitzki.[6] Agranovich also studied with Nadia Reisenberg.[7] She graduated from Juilliard with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1977 and a Master of Music degree in 1978. Agranovich won the Bergen Philharmonic Competition in 1979.[8] She was awarded a fellowship and taught piano minor at Juilliard. Agranovich continued her academic pursuits at Teachers College, Columbia University, taking Doctor of Philosophy coursework in Music Education, Music Theory and Music History from 1980 to 1981.[9]

Agranovich paused her musical career in the 1980s to raise a family and to pursue an additional career in Information Technology. Having earned a certification in Computer Science from the Empire Technical School in New York City in 1981, her career in technology developed with her employment as a systems analyst for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1985 (where she received the Presidential Quality Award for Computer Systems Design and Support),[10] and later a senior programmer/analyst at Merrill Lynch in 1987. She was ultimately promoted to project manager/assistant vice president in 1995 and vice president in 2001.[9]

In 2008, Agranovich retired from her IT career and studied naturopathy, traditional Indian medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. In 2008 she received certifications from National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association/Spencer Institute and American Association of Drugless Practitioners in Yoga, Pilates, and other holistic disciplines. From 2009 to 2012 she taught Yoga and Pilates.[11]

In 2008, Agranovich restarted her professional musical career as a concert pianist, recording artist, music educator and program director.[9][11] She has performed in the United States, Europe, Israel, and Canada, and was invited to perform in China. In 2017 she gave 2-hour solo recitals at the Pennautier Festival[12][13] and Juan-les-Pins in France where she premiered Quatre préludes en hommage a Chopin, Op. 162 dedicated to her by the French composer Françoise Choveaux.[14] Other premieres included Roger Stubblefield's Sonata for clarinet and piano and Nocturne for viola and piano.[15][16] She gave concerts at David Geffen (former Avery Fisher) Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium and Paul Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Roerich and Metropolitan museums, Steinway Hall and Galleries, Bargemusic,[17] Tenri Cultural Institute, Polish Cultural Foundation,[18] Lambert Castle,[19][20] Watchung Arts Center,[21] Salle Cortot, Teatro di Marcello,[22] Ehrbarsaal,[23][24] Théâtre Na Loba, Gesellschaft für Musiktheater,[25] and Kaiser Hall.[26]

Sophia Agranovich in solo concert at Carnegie Hall on November 5, 2011

Other performance venues include numerous colleges and universities, such as the New Jersey Institute of Technology,[27][28] Rubin Academy of Music, Pyotr Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine and Lviv State Conservatory. She has collaborated with Mark Peskanov, Shlomo Mintz, Christopher Collins Lee, Andrew Litton, Alexander Mishnaevski, Gregory Singer, Brett Deubner, Andrew Lamy, Andatole Wieck, Rupam Sarmah, Lili Haydn, Hamid Saeidi,[29] Kathleen Supové, award-winning Emmy, Grammy, and Billboard top ten musical artists, and members of the major orchestras.[30][31]

Agranovich released eleven albums from 2010 through 2023, including eight on Centaur Records, consisting primarily of virtuoso piano repertoire of the Romantic era.[32] She is also an author of her albums' liner notes.

Her performances are broadcast in Brazil on Universidade FM 106.9, "Company of the Music",[33] in Canada on CKWR "Women in Music," Berlin, Munich, Rome, New Zealand, London, Tokyo, Osaka, Paris, Tel-Aviv, and in New York area on WWFM "Between the Keys" with Jed Distler and "Piano Matters" with David Dubal,[34][35] WMNR "Friday Evenings with Will Duchon", NPR WLPR-FM "Art on the Air",[36] WQXR "Reflections from the Keyboard"[37] with David Dubal, and live at WQXR Greene Space.[38][39]

Sophia Agranovich is on the Steinway Artists roster,[40] and is listed annually in Marquis Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. She has been featured in American Record Guide,[41] Fanfare Magazine,[1] New York Times,[17][42][43] The Whole Note,[44] Broadway World,[45] World Culture Times,[46] Musical America,[2][47][48] FOX News,[49] News ABC[50] and other major media outlets. She is a voting member of NARAS, GrammyU mentor, and an active member of numerous professional music organizations, including American Liszt Society,[51] College Music Society, and Leschetizky Association.[52] Additionally she served on the  board of NJMTA affiliated with Music Teachers National Association, and is an Artistic Director of "Classicals at the Circle" music series at the Watchung Arts Center.[53] and a program chair and board member of Music Educators Association of New Jersey.[54]

Sophia Agranovich is a music educator and has received numerous pedagogy awards.[5] She conducts master classes and lectures, adjudicates competitions, prepares students for exams and auditions, coaches professional musicians, and maintains a private teaching studio.

Agranovich's students have won various awards[55][56][57] and had been accepted to notable music schools, including the Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, Manhattan School of Music and New York University, among others. Her students have performed at the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Merkin Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Kimmel Center, Tenri Cultural Institute,[58] Steinway Hall, Watchung Arts Center,[53] Polish Cultural Foundation,[59] and Polish Embassy in New York. They also played in Italy, France, Austria, Poland, China and at various colleges, universities and libraries.[60][61] Their performances were broadcast on radio and TV,[62] including WWFM "Kids on Keys" with Jed Distler and WQXR "Young Artists Showcase" with Robert Sherman.[63]