Irina Zahharenkova is one of the most outstanding keyboard performers of her generation to emerge from Estonia today. Irina has won first prizes in such major international piano competitions as the Leipzig’s Johann Sebastian Bach Competition (2006), Italy’s Alessandro Casagrande Competition (2006), Romania’s Georges Enesco Competition (2005), and Spain’s Prémio Jaén Competition (2004).
Born in Kaliningrad, Russia, Irina Zahharenkova began her musical studies with her mother at age four. At 13, she moved with her family to Tallinn, Estonia, where she graduated later from the G. Ots Music College and the Estonian Academy of Music (Master of Music, 2003). Her piano teachers were Professors Mare Ots and Lilian Semper.
She entered the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki as an exchange student in 2002, and then as a degree student in 2003, studying in piano class of Dr. Hui-Ying Liu-Tawaststjerna.
Since 2003 she is studying for doctor degree in EAM (prof. Lilian Semper).
Irina has also played in the master classes of András Schiff, Victor Merzhanov, Steven Bishop Kovachevich, Malcolm Bilson and Angela Hewett. In addition to the piano, she has pursued advanced courses in harpsichord (degree in EAM, prof. Maris Valk-Falk), fortepiano, organ, chemistry, as well as Estonian and Finnish philology.
Irina Zahharenkova has also been a laureate in “Prague Spring” competition in Czech Republic (2005) - as a harpsichordist and in “Festival van Vlaanderen” competition in Belgium (2004) - as fortepianist.
She is a winner of 2007 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship Award.
An extremely versatile musician, Irina Zahharenkova frequently performs on the piano and harpsichord in solo recitals, chamber music concerts, and as soloist with orchestras.
Her repertoire encompasses a wide range of musical styles from baroque to contemporary. In 2007 she appeared in concerts in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and the Czech Republic.
- I Prize and Audience Prize. The 2006 J.S. Bach International Piano Competition (Leipzig, Germany)
- I Prize and two Special Prizes (the best interpretation of a Mozart Piano Sonata and that of a work by A. Casagrande). The 2006 A. Casagrande International Piano Competition (Terni, Italy)
- IV Prize. Villa-Lobos International Piano Competition 2006 (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- III Prize. Geneva International Piano Competition 2005 (Geneva, Switzerland)
- I Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of Enesco’s Piano Sonata. The 2005 G. Enesco International Piano Competition (Bucharest, Romania)
- III Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of compulsory contemporary piece. "Prague Spring" International Harpsichord Competition 2005 (Prague, Czech Republic)
- II Prize and two Special Prizes (the best interpretation of the compulsory contemporary piece and that of a French work). The 2005 Epinal International Piano Competition (Epinal, France)
- III Prize. "Festival van Vlaanderen" International Fortepiano Competition 2004 (Bruges, Belgium)
- I Prize, Audience Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of the compulsory contemporary piece. The 2004 Prémio Jaén International Piano Competition (Jaén, Spain)
- II Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of M.K. Ciurlionis’s works. The 2003 M.K. Ciurlionis International Piano Competition (Vilnius, Lithuania)