Rain taps the roof of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church as pianist Dmitry Yudin takes his seat at the Fazioli F308—a rare, hand-built piano revered for its power and precision. Lightning flashes through the stained glass as Konstantin Soukhovetski, Grand Piano Series’ director of education and community engagement, poses his first question: “Does the name Nikolai Medtner sound familiar to anyone here?” Silence. He smiles. “Great! I love it.” Konstantin delights in introducing audiences to new music. “What is even more exciting is when that ‘new’ music is 120 years old,” he says. The audience laughs.
Konstantin’s approach—combining rigorous musical scholarship with theatrical storytelling—represents a new model for cultural engagement that respects both local audiences’ sophistication and the community’s welcoming accessibility. The Moscow-born, Juilliard-trained pianist and composer approaches each project as a potential discovery.
In his first full year with Grand Piano Series, Konstantin nearly doubled the reach of the nonprofit’s programming to more than 12,000 students throughout Southwest Florida. “Music doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” he says. “Music exists with and among people, but also among events of the time—everything from revolutions to pandemics.”
Last month, the pianist debuted Yuliya – Forgotten Songs of Julia Weissberg. The celebratory album reintroduces the Jewish Russian composer Julia Weissberg, who became Julia Rimsky-Korsakov after marriage, once renowned for operas and complex songs that championed fellow female artists.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
konstantin soukhovestski pianist composer grand piano
As director of education for Grand Piano Series, Konstantin brings iconic and rarely heard works to life for audiences spanning classrooms to concert halls.
Julia’s work fell into obscurity after her death during the Nazi siege of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg). “She is somebody that should be part of Russian music ethos,” he says. “To have this discovery all these years later, it feels bigger than one record. It’s kind of righting the historical wrong of erasure.”
An industry friend, soprano Sarah Moulton Faux, discovered Julia’s works while studying one of the musician’s teachers, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Julia later married Nikolai’s son, musicologist Andrei Rimsky-Korsakov). Sarah spent her pandemic days corresponding with scholars throughout Europe and Russia. She tracked down the composer’s manuscripts at the Russian State Library in Moscow, selected 15 compositions for the album and invited Konstantin to collaborate on the recording. “It was a fantastic challenge,” Konstantin says. “Her Russian songs sound like Rachmaninoff and Scriabin had a baby.” The challenge was cathartic for Konstantin, who yearns for purposeful endeavors.
During his new Narrative Musicale series with Grand Piano Series, performances incorporate slideshow presentations that contextualize genres ranging from musical theater to Hollywood show tunes to opera. He might read letters and poems by the composers or sync live piano with archival footage, such as The Nutcracker performed by Russia’s centuries-old Bolshoi Ballet. Konstantin was drawn to the Naples area for its rich cultural organizations, like Grand Piano Series, that draw listeners, both affluent and ambitious to learn, into the fold. As director of education, he also collaborates with local schools, mental health nonprofits and senior centers to promote socialization through music. “Music education is in [the organization’s] DNA,” he says, reflecting on his connection to the mission.
Photography by Anna Nguyen
konstantin soukhovestski pianist composer grand piano
Born in Moscow to a family of creatives, Konstantin attended Russia’s leading performing arts academy, the Central Music School. At age 12, he made his theatrical debut, composing the music, playing piano and acting in Moscow’s first foreign play after the fall of the Soviet Union. At age 18, Konstantin earned a full-ride scholarship to The Juilliard School in New York, where he completed three degrees and now teaches as an adjunct.
Throughout his career, he’s amassed prestigious awards and performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and The Louvre. However, his real work happens between performances. As a composer, he broadens classical music’s role, using it as a tool for cultural archaeology and social advocacy. As an educator, he uses storytelling to breathe new life into the centuries-old genre, revealing the often untold stories behind famous and forgotten works. “An artist has, in a way, a sacred duty to be an educator, to not just create your own thing, but to pass it along, to spread the awareness, knowledge and understanding,” he says.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
konstantin soukhovestski pianist composer grand piano
Konstantin and fellow Grand Piano Series musicians perform on a rare Fazioli F308—a hand-built concert grand known for its unmatched clarity, power and range.
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Photography by Anna Nguyen
konstantin soukhovestski pianist composer grand piano
When he’s not interpreting historical works, the pianist composes culturally responsive new works, infusing the classical canon with stories and sounds that speak to our time. In 2023, he debuted a six-part composition, The Pride Suite, commissioned by San Diego’s venture philanthropy firm ProtoStar Group. Each movement translates emotional nuances from the Pride flag into melodic notes. He enjoys performing “Orange,” an upbeat juxtaposition to its solemn predecessor, “Blue,” about love and loss. “I call [“Orange”] ‘the new life,’” he says, quoting Cher’s hit song “Believe.”
He’s since seen rousing renditions of the work’s final movement performed at graduations and competitions, slowly becoming an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community in the classical music world.
Currently, Konstantin’s composing five additional movements to complete the 11-color Progress Pride Flag, which includes stripes honoring people of color and the trans community. “My dream is that my music can become a cultural ambassador,” he says. “Music unites us in our empathy and in our humanity.”