Russian born NATALIYA is a professional, versatile, award winning concert pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter, poet and lyricist who creates memorable and unique compositions with a focus on brightness of melody and richness of harmony. Her compositions cross the boundaries between Classical Contemporary and Popular music, embracing a wide range of genres.NATALIYA’s music goes from being dramatic,deep, mature and soulful, to being playful and whimsical/cartoon-like, often dynamic, expressive, refreshing and novel, always filled with imagination.
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1974, Nataliya Medvedovskaya, has been recently based in New York since 2003, composing and performing at established venues and in illustrious recording projects.
Growing up in Saint Petersburg, NATALIYA has been a composer and classical pianist since the tender age of six years old. She has performed concerts in public since the age of 8. She was interviewed for her very first radio show when she was just 10 years old. She later graduated with a double major in music composition and piano performance from the legendary SAINT PETERSBURG CONSERVATORY. As a pianist of the highest regard, NATALIYA received both of her diplomas at the International Piano Competition "Young Virtuosi" (1989, Czech Republic), one of them awarded for "culture of performance, musicality, and deep understanding of music."
NATALIYA’s compositions were broadcasted nationally throughout Russia and she quickly accumulated prestigious composing awards across Europe. She won first prize at the 1995 International Composers’ Competition of the Gartow Foundation, held in Saint Petersburg; second prize in the composition category at the International Competition "Golden Channukia" (2005, Berlin); and then more recently in the U.S.A - Honor Award at the 2006 Great American Song Contest; HONORABLE Mention in the 14th BILLBOARD SONG CONTEST; Honorable Mention in the 11th Unisong International Song Contest, and an Honorable Mention in the 2007 “Song of the Year ”International Song Contest.
Since 2003 NATALIYA is prolific in her creativity, getting involved in various performances as a solo pianist, ensemblist and accompanist of both her compositions, and pieces by other composers at such prestigious venues as Weill Recital Hall at CARNEGIE HALL, Steinway Hall, Bechstein Piano Centre, Austrian Cultural Forum, the New York Public Library and Symphony Space.
In 2006 NATALIYA recorded a piano performance for the Mapleshade Records label for the newly released CD entitled: “Rachmaninov, The Impassioned Songwriter”. She is also recording a solo piano CD of the Mozart program and a CD of her original classical compositions.
The world premiere of her new composition "First snow" for oboe,bassoon,violin, and piano was presented at the An Die Music Series in Baltimore, MD, in February 2009 and at the “Wall to Wall Behind the Wall” International Festival in Symphony Space, NY in May 2010.
At the 2006 International Clarinet Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, she performed her commissioned six-movement humorous suite for clarinet and piano, "Pantomimes." In 2004 she composed and recorded three soundtracks for the American Film "I Will Avenge You, Iago!".
Her String Quartet No.1 (which she composed at the age of 18) has been performed by the famous SAINT PETERSBURG STRING QUARTET since the early nineties in a number of U.S. cities, receiving glowing reviews in the LOS ANGELES TIMES, the WASHINGTON POST, St. Paul Edition, Kalamazoo Gazete and the Charleston Daily Mail. The Quartet was also performed at the Music Mountain Summer Festival (2005), Mohawk Trial Concerts (2006), and was broadcast by WQXR internationally. Her String Quartet 2 was premiered at the Chamber Music America Conference (New York City, 2007), Albuquerque Music Festival (New Mexico, 2007) and at the Museum of Fine Arts (Florida, 2007).
NATALIYA’s compositions have been featured at MVYRadio.com, www.unheard radio.com,www.imradio.com, www.rukusradio.com, on the Eartaster Sampler 4, the Fresh Music Express Radio Podcast and the Noizepunk & Krooner Shows at www.kalvos.org