Igor Ardašev (born 1967) clearly belongs to the most significant personalities of the emerging generation of European pianists. A Brno native, he practiced his piano skills with Inessa Janíčková at the Brno Conservatoire as well as at Janáček Academy of Arts. He extended his education at master courses of Paul Badura-Skoda and Rudolf Serkin. He linked up to his youthful success (especially from Smetana Competition and Concertino Praga) surprisingly soon by a notable 5th place from a challenging Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow and by a laureate title from the Prague Spring International Competition. He did especially well in the first half of the 90's when he gradually received 1st prize from the Maria Callas Competition in Athens, laureate title from the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels, 1st prize from the Belgian Radio and Television Competition and laureate title from Marguerite Long and Jacques Thibaud Competition in Paris. Today he has an imposing list of successful recitals behind him (Europe, America, Japan) as well as numerous excellent recordings. The most interesting include solo projects (Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Beethoven, Dvořák, Ježek, Janáček, Martinů) as well as a four-hand version of Janáček's overture Jealousy realized together with Rudolf Firkušný. His discography was recently also complemented by notable recordings of Dvořák's Slavonic Dances and Smetana's My Country in the four-hand version with his life- and artistic partner, wife Renata Ardaševová. Igor Ardašev cooperated with many renowned local (Czech Philharmonic, Brno Philharmonic, Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Virtuosi di Praga) as well as foreign orchestras (BBC Orchestra London, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Odense Symphonic Orchestra). He performs at many principal local festivals (Prague Spring, Moravian Autumn, Concentus Moraviae, Janáček May, Český Krumlov International Music Festival) as well as foreign events (Hong Kong Arts Festival, Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau, Internationales Musikfestival Schleswig-Holstein, Edinburgh International Festival, Musica Mundi Waterloo, Ohridsko leto). We should also mention his recent engagements with Orquesta de Valencia (2004, Dvořák's Piano Concerto), Edinburgh International Festival 2005, cooperation with Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (Poulenc: Concert for two pianos together with Renata Ardaševová) which started by a concert in Brno during Moravian Autumn and shall continue in Angers and Nantes in 2006. Igor Ardašev is also a favourite soloist with Malta National Orchestra where he guest performed in 2005 (Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto no.2) and in 2006 (Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Op. 56).