Bella Davidovich

Pianist Bella Davidovich grew up surrounded by music in her native Azerbaijan; her mother and grandfather were both professional musicians. She took piano lessons as a child, making her performing debut at just nine-years-old. During her time at the Central Music School at Moscow Conservatoire she won first prize at the International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition, providing her with a platform on which to launch her career. She married violinist Julian Sitkovetsky in 1925 and gave birth to their son, Dmitry, who would also later become a renowned violinist. She released two albums while living in Azerbaijan - 'Fantasy in F Minor/Divertissement a la Hongroise' by Schubert in 1971 and Mozart's 'Sonata No. 5/Fantasia in C' in 1972. In 1976 Davidovich relocated to America, giving her first performance at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1979. Becoming an American citizen, she began teaching at Juilliard School in 1982. With expert knowledge in her field, she was often called upon to be on judging panels for competitions, including the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, the Clara Haskil Competition in Switzerland and the Chopin Competition in Poland. She released her last recording in 2012 of Edvard Grieg's 'Piano Concerto in A Minor'.

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