Agigat Maharramova
Professor Agigat Maharramova, PhD in Art, was born in Sheki, Azerbaijan . At age 13, she was enrolled in the Bul-Bul School of Music , the most prestigious institution for primary and high school music education. After 
graduation, she continued her studies at the Yzeyir Hajibeyli Baku Academy of Music (previously known as the Azerbaijan State Conservatory) where she completed her Master’s degree with renowned pianist and professor Nigyar Usubova. She continued her studies in a post graduate program at the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory, Russia, under the guidance of distinguished Professor of Music, Pavel Serebryakov. Professor Maharramova maintained an extensive schedule of performances in Europe, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine and other countries. From 1999, she joined the faculty at the Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey, where she is currently
teaching piano. She was the winner of several competitions as both a soloist and an accompanist, and continues to perform as a soloist and chamber musician to this day. Professor Agigat Maharramova has served as a juror at a number of major international music competitions, and is the author of the book “Genesis and Advancement of the Piano Performance Culture of Azerbaijan” (pictured below).
Rena Shereshevskaya
We are privileged to have the well- known teacher and pianist, Rena Shereshevskaya, join our competition as a Judge, and also give a Masterclass to the Grand prize winner or 1 prize winner of “Florida Keys”IMC. She is a Professor of Piano at the Paris Alfred Cortot Music School and at the Conservatory of Rueil – Malmaison. Many of her students became prize- winners of grand international competitions; these students include Lucas Debargue (winner of the XVth International Tchaikovsky Competition) and Alexandre Kantorow (Grand Prix winner at the XVIth International Tchaikovsky Competition)
We greatly appreciate that Professor Shereshevskaya – Mustafabeyli will share her incredible talent and expertise with the winners of our competition.
Elmar Gasanov
Elmar Gasanov was born in Sevastopol. In 1990 he began playing the piano with Tatyana Kim at the Music School No.1. After studying for eleven years there he
continued his education in the Musical College under the Moscow State Conservatory and the Moscow State Conservatory, where he studied under renowned Russian musician and teacher Professor Ludmila Roshina. In 2010 he succesfully passed his exams and got full scholarship for studying in the Royal College of Music in London where he spent two years with a great musician Vanessa Latarche. Elmar drew attention to himself by winning prizes at various international piano competitions, such as the Highest Prize in the International Competition “In the home town of Prokofiev” in 1999. In the same year he also came third in the International Competition “In Memory of V.Horowitz”. In 2000 he was the winner of the International Krainev Competition. In 2006 he was the winner of Liszt-Bartok Piano Competition in Budapest. In 2009 he got the second prize and Audience prize in Hamamatsu International piano competition. In 2010, he got the third prize in Isangyun piano competition (Korea). In 2011 he got the fifth prize in 3rd Hong Kong Piano Competition. In 2012 he got the third prize and Schumann prize in Geza Anda piano competition in Zurich. Elmar has given solo and concerto performances not just in Russia, but also in Hungary (inc. Budapest Spring Festival), Germany (inc. Baden-Baden Summer Festival), France (inc. Colmar Festival), Holland, Austria, England (inc. Campden Music Festival), Turkey, Brazil, USA, Slovakia, Sloveniya, Ukraine, Switzerland ( Zurich Tonhalle, Paul Klee Centre Berne, Crans-Montana, Gstaad Menuhin Festival).
Elmar regularly works with the many wonderful orchestras and conductors, among them the Musikkollegium Winterthur under Theodor Guschlbauer, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich under David Zinman, Concerto Budapest under Andras Keller, the INSO Orchestra Lviv under Georg Kugi and others, and The Hong Kong Philarmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Ashkenazy. At present, Elmar teaches at Moscow State Conservatory and Academic Music College of the Moscow Conservatory.