Olga Zado
German-Ukrainian pianist Olga Zado, born in Odesa, Ukraine, is celebrated for her poetic depth, radiant sound, and electrifying technique. The Hamburger Abendblatt praised her as a "master of the magical art of rubato," while the Mannheimer Morgen described her as "a magician at the piano." Captivating audiences with emotionally compelling interpretations shaped by a distinctive artistic voice and exceptional sensitivity, her repertoire spans from Johann Sebastian Bach to contemporary composers, reflecting a profound commitment to both musical tradition and artistic innovation.Recognized as an exceptional talent from an early age, Olga Zado made her orchestral debut as a soloist at the age of seven and gave her first international performance at twelve at the Kulturcasino Bern. Since then, she has appeared in many of Europe's most prestigious concert halls, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Mozarteum Salzburg, Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Meistersingerhalle Nuremberg, Kulturcasino Bern, Brucknerhaus Linz, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, and Teatro Filarmónica de Oviedo.
This season she made her U.S. debut in Los Angeles with the New Hollywood String Quartet and her Australian debut at the renowned Australian Festival of Chamber Music (AFCM) in Townsville.
As a soloist, she has performed with distinguished orchestras including the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, the Mannheim Philharmonic, the Łódź Philharmonic, the Lower Silesian Philharmonic, the Rzeszów Philharmonic, the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia, and the symphony orchestras of Kyiv, Odesa, and Kosovo.
A passionate chamber musician, Olga Zado is the artistic director of the concert series FinestClassics in Mannheim and collaborates with internationally acclaimed artists including Martha Argerich, the Jerusalem Quartet, Sharon Kam, Johannes Moser, Amihai Grosz, Boris Brovtsyn, Claudio Bohórquez, Jack Liebeck, Nitzan Haroz, Antonio Meneses, and mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital.
Her love of vocal music and interdisciplinary projects is reflected in her contribution to the acclaimed album George by world-renowned soprano Sonya Yoncheva-an artistic tribute to George Sand that Olga describes as "a deeply meaningful artistic and human privilege."
Her musical education began at the legendary Stolyarsky Special Music School in her native Odesa, where she was trained in the pianistic tradition of Heinrich Neuhaus. She later continued her studies at the Bern University of the Arts under Mihaela Ursuleasa. Further artistic inspiration came from Leon Fleisher, Arcadi Volodos, Pavel Gililov, Jacques Rouvier, Bernd Glemser, and, most significantly, Sergei Babayan, with whom she has maintained a long-standing artistic friendship.
Alongside her musical studies, Olga earned a degree in philosophy from Mechnikov University in Odesa. She is also an accomplished poet, and writing and reading poetry form an integral part of her artistic language, enriching her musical interpretations with remarkable emotional depth.
Beyond the concert stage, Olga Zado is actively engaged in supporting people with special needs and regularly performs in hospices, hospitals, and social institutions. She is the founder of Vira. Rebuilding Culture, an initiative dedicated to supporting cultures and nations affected by war, genocide, and cultural erasure. The project embraces not only the arts but the broader dimensions of human culture, including philosophy, memory, education, and identity.
A laureate of numerous international competitions and recipient of prestigious cultural scholarships, Olga Zado inspires audiences through profound musical expression, intellectual refinement, and fearless emotional honesty.
Olga Zado is a Steinway Artist.
photo: Irina Kovaleva
