Valentina Lisitsa

Valentina Lisitsa (Ukrainian: Валентина Лисиця, translit. Valentyna Lysytsya; born 11 December 1973) is a Ukrainian-born and trained classical pianist who resides in North Carolina. Lisitsa is among the most frequently viewed pianists on YouTube and is often praised as a highly commendable pianist. Lisitsa followed a unique path to success, independently launching the beginnings of her career via social media, without initially signing to a tour promoter or record company.

Quotes

 * I’m nothing but a conduit. The music goes though my ears, my fingers... Composer is a god. Composer creates music. We’re performers. We’re just passing it on.
 * telegraph.co.uk


 * If the question [about if there were only one composer in the world I could play] is purely ‘original’ works, no transcriptions, then Beethoven.
 * pianistmagazine.com.


 * Memorising notes as one memorises a speech in foreign language is bound to lead to memory lapses. YouTube is an invaluable tool; you can get to study your repertory with the best pianists of all times. Use it. If you are learning a piece, don’t hesitate to put your headphones on and just play along with your favourite recording. No matter how many times you hear the playing you will not grasp all the finer points if not directly measuring your inner hearing of music with the an interpretation you like.
 * pianistmagazine.com.


 * Would-be musicians are starving themselves emotionally and intellectually just to be perfect.
 * nytimes.com.


 * It’s only when you stop trying to find faults and start doing something constructive that you will survive … It’s just good for you as a human not to dwell on your disasters.
 * nytimes.com.

Quotes about Valentina Lisitsa

 * ... ongoing accusations of deeply offensive language by Ukrainian media outlets
 * Toronto Symphony Orchestra according to TSO yanks Ukrainian-born pianis's shows after talk of 'deeply offensive' comments (April 6, 2015)

Video interviews with Valentina Lisitsa

 * Valentina Lisitsa in conversation with Melanie Spanswick (Nov 4, 2012) on Youtube 80,802 views