Yvar Mikhashoff

Yvar - Emilian Mikhashoff (actually Ronald Mackay, born March 8, 1941 in Troy, New York, † 11 October 1993 in Buffalo, New York) was an American pianist.

Education and academic career

Mikhasoff had first piano lessons with Betty Weir and Stanley Hummel. He attended since 1959, the Eastman School of Music where he was a piano pupil of Armand Basile, and 1961, the Juilliard School of Music. From 1964 he studied at the University of Houston piano with Albert Hirsh and composition with Elmer Schoettle. After a stay with Nadia Boulanger, he joined the University of Texas at Austin to study at Hunter Johnson, Kent Kennan, Janet McGaughey and Karl Korte, from which he graduated in 1973 with the degree of Doctor of Music. He was then until his death, assistant professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Musical orientation and career

Mikhasoff specialized in the American music of the 20th century and was soon regarded internationally as one of the foremost interpreters of this repertoire, the composers such as John Cage, Lukas Foss, Christian Wolff, Henry Brant, Sylvano Bussotti, Per Norgaard and Luis de Pablo works devoted.

He joined almost all major festivals of contemporary music, world wide on - among other things, the Warsaw Autumn festival, the Holland Festival, the Biennale in Zagreb, the Bergen Festival in Norway and the Almeida Festival in London - and played recordings for broadcasting in the United States, the Netherlands, Denmark, England and Japan, and one for record labels like New Albion, Fashion, RCA Victor, CRI and Spectrum.

He was also founder of the North American New Music Festival, which he directed for eleven years. His support of contemporary music is continued by the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music, founded after his death.

• Classic pianist
• American musician
• Born in 1941
• Died in 1993
• Man