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NEW YORK CITY—Vitalii Khairutdinov, a 26-year-old Russian émigrés and piano doctoral student at Temple University, won gold at NTD’s 8th International Piano Competition. Contestants from across the globe competed, performing Baroque, Classical, and Romantic period pieces.
“I am promoting classical music, and that’s my job,” Khairutdinov told The Epoch Times. “[Classical music] can change lives. It can change your beliefs. Sometimes, really, classical music can make the person kind, or honest, or sincere, genuine.”
Khairutdinov was born in Perm, Russia, where he learned piano from his aunt, who was a prominent piano teacher in the city. He moved to Moscow as a teen to pursue music at the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory. In 2024, he left for the United States over his opposition to the Russo–Ukrainian War.
The gold winner is now studying under pianist Sara Buechner at Temple University to get his doctorate of musical arts.
Khairutdinov said that he didn’t expect to win the competition.
“I’m very excited, and I didn’t expect that. I was hoping, but didn’t expect,” he said.
For the finals, his 45-minute recital included pieces from Schumann, Beethoven, and Liszt.
“Beethoven is one of the hardest composers there is,” Khairutdinov said. “There are not many notes, but it’s supposed to sound with such precision, and it requires so much energy.”
He said the most difficult piece in the competition was the commission piece because he had little time and was approaching a piece from a different culture.
“You also have to think about the form, structure, and sound, and Chinese culture, and you have to surprise the judges, so it’s such a responsibility. Then when you know that the composer is herself sitting in the hall, that’s scary,” he said.
Khairutdinov said that before he performs, he takes the sheet music backstage. Having it nearby helps his performance. Choosing someone in the crowd and thinking, “I’m going to play for this person,” is another strategy he uses to focus his mind on stage.
The pianist also thinks of people to express the emotions and sounds he wants.
“If I want to do a very warm, like magic sound, and I really want it, but I can’t do it. I try to think about my potential daughter. … Like I am playing this theme for her or for [my future] son,” he said.
Veda Zuponcic, a pianist at Rowan University, was Khairutdinov’s teacher until she passed away from cancer in June. The tragedy created a gap in his preparation for the Schumann piece, but he filled it with memories of his teacher.
“Today I was playing Schumann, and I was thinking about my teacher,” Khairutdinov said. “I was thinking about her in the second movement, and in the slow sections in the first movement, and in slow sections in the final movement.”
Khairutdinov described how precise the feelings he put into his rendition of Wagner-Liszt: Overture to Tannhauser were.
“[Tannhauser] is depth. It’s maturity. It’s very noble sounding. It’s very easy to make it harsh, and I’m trying to dive into the keys slowly,” he said.
The visuals of a performer’s body play a large role for the audience, Khairutdinov said. On stage, he tries to be noble and not shy, ugly, or arrogant-looking. His efforts contribute to a classy, expressive stage performance that is enjoyable to watch and beautiful to listen to.
According to Khairutdinov, the NTD piano competition is an opportunity for pianists.
“Not every competition has such aura,” he said.
He highlighted the opportunity to be recorded in such high quality and to be given an audience, and that these things usually cost a lot for a pianist.
The future for Khairutdinov holds so much. He plans to enter bigger competitions, meet more contestants, take more master classes, and continue his doctorate.
“My plans after the competition: Search for new competitions and practice a lot,” said the pianist. “Sara Beuchner already told me to play the fourth scherzo next week. So tomorrow I open the music, and I start learning.”
The NTD competition was held in New York City from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5, and aims to bring classical piano music back to the center stage.
More than 20 pianists participated in the competition, each performing their own blend of classical music and a specially commissioned piece for the competition named “Divine’s Calling,” which combines classic Eastern and Western music styles.
