Master-class participants are thrilled by the chance to learn from Trifonov

Pianist Cameron Akioka has long admired Daniil Trifonov, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 Artist-in-Residence. Akioka, a Los Angeles native and first-year doctor of musical arts candidate at Northwestern University, was a teenager when Trifonov won the Rubinstein Competition and the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011.

“He shaped my journey and my passion for music,” Akioka said of Trifonov. “He’s the first person that I go to when I’m thinking about learning a new piece. I listen to his recordings first.”

On Monday, Nov. 18, the two pianists were seated side by side at Steinway pianos in DePaul University’s Allen Recital Hall, as Akioka performed the first two movements of Robert Schumann’s Sonata No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor. She was one of three graduate students coached by Trifonov in a master class presented by DePaul’s School of Music and the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

“It was a very inspiring master class,” Akioka said afterward. “It really means a lot to get to hear his positive comments and also very constructive comments.”

The other two participants were Mateus Furtado, who recently started the performance diploma program at Roosevelt University, and Boris Krivoshein, who is working toward a certificate in performance at DePaul. Furtado opened the program with the first movement of Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, and Krivoshein performed Liszt’s Transcendental Etude No. 4 (Mazeppa).

For early-career musicians, a master class with an artist of Trifonov’s caliber offers a rare one-on-one opportunity to gain insights about the technical demands and expressive nuances of a particular piece of music. An audience typically observes the coaching session and also benefits from the teacher’s expertise.

“When I was studying, I learned the most from sitting very close to my teacher or someone who was demonstrating in a way that was captivating, compelling and fascinating,” said John Milbauer, a Steinway Artist and dean of the DePaul University School of Music. “That’s what all of us experienced today,” he said after the master class. “Not just the pianists next to Trifonov, but everyone in the audience, because you’re close enough that you can make the connection between the physical gesture and the sound that comes out of the instrument.”

As Trifonov worked with Furtado, Akioka and Krivoshein, he discussed and demonstrated a range of physical techniques and musical elements such as dynamics, phrasing, articulation, pedaling, harmonic balance, wrist and elbow positions, and distribution of weight in the shoulders.

He returned several times to the metaphor of the human voice, encouraging the pianists to think about how they would sing a particular passage and translate that sound to their instrument. In Chopin’s sonata, he urged Furtado to take more time playing a large interval, imitating how a singer would approach a leap between different vocal registers. “We should make an illusion like it’s not a piano — like it’s a voice or a singer,” he said.

“I loved his approach on sound,” Furtado shared afterward. “He was talking about how sometimes you need to think about how your touch independently comes from the shoulder, sometimes from the elbow, sometimes from the wrist, which is something that I always admired in his playing — the variety and nuances in how he makes sounds on the piano.”

Playing in a master class with Trifonov was “a dream come true,” Furtado continued. “It’s a source of inspiration for me. I definitely feel more motivated to practice and be more connected to the music after today.”

Like Trifonov, Krivoshein grew up in Russia and studied at the Gnessin School of Music in Moscow. He also spoke warmly of his experience with Trifonov, saying it was “incredible” to work with the world-renowned pianist in this setting.

Trifonov will return to Symphony Center for two more residencies this season, performing a chamber music recital with violinist Leonidas Kavakos (March 9) and appearing as soloist in Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto with Zell Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä and the CSO (May 1-4).

During his spring residency, Trifonov will lead a master class on April 30 at Symphony Center with the four piano finalists of the 2025 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition, which showcases talented instrumentalists from across Illinois who are in their early teens through junior year of high school. Educational activities are an important part of the CSO Artist-in-Residence’s role, and local music students are in good hands with Trifonov for a mentor.

Sponsor credit: The Artist-in-Residence position at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, currently held by Daniil Trifonov, is made possible through a generous gift from James and Brenda Grusecki.