International Pianist Tatiana Tchekina Dies

Pianist Tatiana Tchekina, assistant professor of accompanying at the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, New York, died Saturday, Dec. 7, in an automobile accident.

Professor Tchekina, who was 69, was married to violinist Oleh Krysa and since 1967 was the duo-partner in most of his recitals and recordings.

“Professor Tchekina was a valued member of our faculty who influenced the lives of the many students with whom she collaborated on performances and competitions,” said Jamal Rossi, Dean of the Eastman School of Music. “As a world-class musician, she had an international career both as a solo pianist and in collaboration with Professor Krysa. Our thoughts are with Oleh and their family and friends at this very difficult time.”

Born on January 25, 1944, in Moscow into a family of singers, Professor Tchekina studied at the Moscow and Kiev Conservatories. She taught accompanying at Gnesin Musical and Pedagogical Institute in Moscow and chamber music at the Kiev Conservatory. She joined the Eastman faculty in 2002. In 2004, Professor Tchekina was an official accompanist at the David Oistrakh International Violin Competition in Odessa, Ukraine, and in 2008 at Qingdao International Violin Competition in China.

Professor Tchekina performed in acclaimed solo and chamber music recitals with her husband in major concert halls across four continents, including the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York City, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She also appeared at major music festivals in Russia, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Finland, the United States, and Australia, and regularly taught master classes in Japan.

Together with her husband, Professor Tchekina recorded 20 CDs on the Melodiya, BIS, Triton, TNC, and Russian disc labels. The couple championed contemporary music, recording works by Soviet composer Alfred Schnittke, Ukrainian composers Boris Lyatoshynsky and Myroslav Skoryk, and others. The couple had several works dedicated to them, including Larry Sitsky’s “Bylina” for Violin and Piano and Sydney Hodkinson’s “Scherzo Frenetique for Violin and Piano.”

The couple’s international touring schedule allowed them to occasionally perform with their sons, violinist Peter Krysa of Vancouver and conductor Taras Krysa of Las Vegas.

“Professor Tchekina was a great artist,” said Federico Agostini, Professor of Violin at the Eastman School of Music. “With her immense background and experience she was also an extraordinary collaborative pianist in our school. Some of the best violin students we have here at Eastman were blessed by having the great privilege to perform with her. She will be missed by all of us as a wonderful friend and as a great musician.”

Professor Tchekina is survived by her husband Oleh; sons, Peter and Taras; grandson, Konstantin; brother, Alexander; and sister, Ludmila.