Biography
Born in Russia and shaped by the Switzerland that welcomed her, Irina Chkourindina carries this dual heritage as an inner richness. Soloist, chamber musician, accompanist or theatrical stage musician: she brings the same intensity to each of these roles.
A graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow — where she received the Congratulations of the Jury — she went on to further her training at the Geneva Conservatory, earning a soloist diploma and a postgraduate diploma in chamber music. A prizewinner in several international competitions, she won 2nd prize in Usti nad Labem at the age of 13, the Beijing piano competition at 16, and 1st prize at the Moscow national accompaniment competition at 22. In 2007, she secured a recording contract at the Orpheus competition in Zurich.
Her repertoire, a reflection of her origins, reveals a particular fondness for Russian composers — Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Rachmaninoff — and for the great Romantics such as Liszt, Chopin and Schumann. She is also drawn to contemporary music: Gubaidulina, Dutilleux, Schedrin, Darbellay and Nicolas Bolens.
Irina performs in Switzerland, France, South Korea, Sweden, India and the Sultanate of Oman. She gives an annual recital at the Château de Lourmarin, where she was an artist in residence, and performs at numerous Swiss festivals: the Schubertiades, Lavaux Classics, the Festival de Champéry and the Festival de Coppet. A member of the Geneva Chamber Ensemble, the Geneva Piano Trio and the Trio Arc, she performs with violist Maxim Rysanov, violinists Sergei Ostrovsky, Pavel Vernikov, Svetlana Makarova and Oleg Kaskiv, and cellists David Pia and Estelle Revaz. She also collaborates with singers such as Camilla Nylund, Marc Scoffoni, Clémence Tilquin, Carine Séchaye and Larissa Rosanoff.
She develops staged projects with actor Alain Carré — literary concerts centred on Liszt, Rilke, Lorca and Rachmaninoff’s exile — performed in Switzerland, France and Canada.
Her discography includes two solo CDs, a CD with the Trio Arc (2017), The Modern Cello with Dan Sloutskovski (Orpheus, 2020), and a Geneva Piano Trio CD devoted to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff (Paraty).
Irina teaches at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. As a performer, passing on her knowledge to the next generation lies at the heart of her artistic approach. In 2023, she founded the Primeurs Musicales festival, dedicated to young talent, which brings together dozens of musicians each year around the chamber music repertoire. The festival takes place in Geneva’s concert halls and Switzerland’s finest vineyards, showcasing young talents from across the country.
