Leonid Chizhik

Leonid Arkadyevich Chizhik is a Soviet and German jazz pianist, composer, and music educator. He was honored with the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1990. Born on January 1, 1947, in Chișinău, Moldavian SSR, his father was Arkady Solomonovich Chizhik, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War from Kryvyi Rih. Chizhik's early musical education took place in Kharkiv, where he attended a ten-year music school, graduating from the piano class in 1965.

In 1965, Chizhik moved to Moscow and enrolled in the piano department of the Gnessin State Musical College, where he studied under Theodor Gutman until 1968. He later completed his higher education at the Gorky Conservatory, graduating in 1970. During his student years, from 1965 to 1967, he was a member of Herman Lukyanov's bassless jazz trio, alongside drummer Vladimir Vasilkov.

Chizhik's professional career began to flourish in the late 1960s. From 1969 to 1971, he played in the State Variety Orchestra of the RSFSR, conducted by Leonid Utyosov. In 1972, he became a soloist with Mosconcert. He led his own trio from 1973 to 1976, featuring Andrey Egorov on double bass and Vladimir Zasedatelev on drums. Subsequently, until 1978, he led another trio with Yuri Genbachev on drums and Anatoly Babiy on double bass.

Beginning in the early 1970s, Leonid Chizhik became a pioneer in the USSR by performing solo piano improvisations. From 1978 onwards, he focused exclusively on his solo career, gaining recognition for his unique style and virtuosity. His work from this period is documented on several albums, including the double album 'Reminiscences' (1979) released by the Melodiya record label.

In 1991, Chizhik relocated to Germany. He began teaching in 1992 as an associate professor at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich. Since 1994, he has held the position of professor of jazz piano at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar. In addition to his teaching career, Chizhik continues to perform and compose. He is the author of numerous jazz compositions for piano and is also known for performing programs of classical music in jazz arrangements, collaborating with symphony orchestras and Gidon Kremer's Kremerata Baltica.

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