Karina Velasquez

Karina was born in Odesa to a family of engineers who noticed she could pick out melodies on the piano at age three. At eight, she was accepted into a prestigious Kyiv conservatory for gifted children. Political instability and family hardship pushed her to leave Ukraine at fourteen to study at The Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. She is intense, focused, but not cold, she has a quiet humour that surfaces when she’s comfortable. She carries a sense of displacement that makes her concerts feel like homecomings, and plays with a kind of emotional ferocity that critics describe as “lightning wrapped in silk.” She is known for her interpretations of Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev, pieces that let her pour her history into the keys. She performs at the world’s major halls, like The Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie, Musikverein. She made her home in Paris and has an apartment in Le Marais, where she spends her time when not touring.