Dimitri Illarionov

Dimitri studied in Russia at the Russian Gnesins's Academy of Music with the famous performer, Professor Alexander Frauchi, in Germany with Professor Andreas von Wangenheim (Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe) and also took lessons with composer and guitarist Nikita Koshkin. He is now Professor at the Russian Gnesins's University of Music in Moscow.

Illarionov is the winner and laureate of numerous international competitions in the USA, Spain, Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Russia. These include the Grand Prix in the VI International Promotional Competition "Guitar Talents' Review" (Gdańsk, Poland - 1999) and the title of "The Greatest Hope" in the "Tenth Gdańsk Meeting of Guitarists"; First Prize and Prize of Public in the VIII International Guitar Competition in Coria (Spain - 2004); First Prize in the Russian International Guitar Competition - "Guitar in Russia" in Voronezh (Russia - 2002), Second Prize in Michele Pittaluga International Classical Guitar Competition (Italy - 2007).

Illarionov was the first guitarist to take Second Prize in the III International Competition of Musical Personalities "Alexander Tansman" (Łódź, Poland - 2000). Piano, violin, cello, guitar and other instruments compete directly with each other in this competition, and Illarionov's success there made him the highest-placed guitarist ever in the Tansman competition. In October 2002, Illarionov won The Twentieth International Guitar Foundation of America Solo Guitar Competition (GFA – Miami, Florida, USA). As part of the prize, he conducted his concert tour (in the US and Canada) and will record a concert video. Besides guitar competition, Illarionov is a laureate of composing and conducting competitions.

Illarionov has an active concert life, playing solo recitals and performing as soloist with orchestras. He has played with such orchestras as I Solisti Veneti, Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Russia, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta di Valencia, the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the State Symphony Orchestra "New Russia", the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the Irkutsk Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (Russia), the Moscow Chamber "The Seasons" Orchestra (Russia), the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova and the Wuppertal Plucked Orchestra (Germany). In addition to numerous appearances in Russia, he has performed in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Estonia, Poland, Italy, Germany, USA, Canada and Japan. He has played in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, the Osaka Symphony Hall, and the Hall of Columns of the National Philharmonic Society (Kiev, Ukraine). He appeared at the Festival of Russian Culture (Los Angeles, California, USA, 2004), at the opening ceremony of the 49th International Book Fair (Warsaw, Poland, 2004), and at the guitar in Nürtingen, in 2002.