Roman Rabinovich is a pianist of rare musical insight, renowned for his captivating interpretations. Hailed by The New York Times for his “uncommon sensitivity and feeling,” he is recognized as one of today’s most eloquent pianists. Winner of the 12th Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, his career has since taken him to major stages across Europe and the United States, including Gewandhaus, Carnegie Hall, Cité de la Musique, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Kennedy Center, and Wigmore Hall, where he gave three solo recitals in the 2024–25 season. Celebrated for his inventive and often thematic recital programs, Rabinovich brings a curatorial imagination to the stage that deepens the listening experience.
Rabinovich has performed as a soloist with a wide range of leading orchestras, including the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Edmonton Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Meininger Hofkapelle, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, NFM Leopoldinum, KBS Symphony, Prague Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, and all the major Israeli orchestras. He has worked with such conductors as Sir Roger Norrington, Zubin Mehta, Ludovic Morlot, Kristjan Järvi, Michael Stern, Christoph Koenig, Gerard Schwarz, and Joseph Swensen. Acclaimed for his performances of concertos spanning from Bach to Lutosławski, Rabinovich brings a distinctive voice to repertoire across the centuries. His recital appearances include Washington Performing Arts, Shriver Hall, Lincoln Center, Vancouver Recital Society, the Gilmore Keyboard Festival’s Rising Stars Series, and the Phillips Collection. He has also been featured at major festivals such as Marlboro, Ravinia, La Jolla Music Society, Dvořák Prague, Prague Spring, and the Ruhr Piano Festival.
Highlights of the 2025–26 season include concerto appearances with the New Mexico Philharmonic, Paducah Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Okanagan Symphony, Symphony Tacoma, as well as the San Antonio Philharmonic.
Dubbed “a true polymath, in the Renaissance sense of the word” (Seen & Heard International), Rabinovich is also a composer and visual artist with a repertoire spanning six centuries, from Byrd to Boulez and beyond. He has received particular acclaim for his interpretations of Haydn, having performed complete Haydn Sonata cycles at the Lammermuir and Bath Festivals in the UK and ChamberFest Cleveland in the US. He has also appeared at the Herbstgold Festival in Eisenstadt and curated a three-concert Haydn Day at Wigmore Hall in 2022. His two albums of Haydn Sonatas on First Hand Records received rave reviews, with BBC Music Magazine noting: “The elegance and liveliness of Rabinovich’s keyboard style are, indeed, a joy to listen to, and his unfailing musicality and inventiveness allow him to penetrate to the expressive heart of Haydn’s world.”
Rabinovich made his Israel Philharmonic debut under Zubin Mehta at age 10, having immigrated to Israel from Tashkent, Uzbekistan. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Seymour Lipkin, he earned his master’s degree at the Juilliard School with Robert McDonald. He was among the first three young pianists selected by Sir András Schiff for his Building Bridges series.
He is co-director of ChamberFest Cleveland and ChamberFest West in Calgary, where he curates adventurous programs that ignite conversation, foster connection, and deepen the communal experience of music.