Elena Baksht

Full Biography.

Ms. Elena Baksht first came to public attention at the age of 11 performing at the Central Hall of the Arts of Moscow with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, her career as a soloist and chamber musician has taken her to concert halls around the world.

Career highlights include appearances with the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall and Weill Recital Hall, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, Miami Symphony, Lincoln Theater, New Philharmonic of New Jersey, Plano Symphony, Orchestra Philharmonic in Jalisco, New Philharmonic of Chicago, Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, University of Chicago, Bartlesville Symphony, Phillips Collection, Embassy Series, San Angelo Symphony, Westfield Symphony, Highland Park Strings, Garden State Philharmonic, and WQXR Young Artists Series, among others.

An active chamber musician, Ms. Baksht has collaborated with renowned musicians including Vadim Repin, Yuri Bashmet, Marc O'Connor, Dmitri Berlinsky, and other distinguished colleagues. She has appeared at music festivals such as the Tanglewood Music Festival, Fontainebleau Music Festival, Bruges Recital Festival Series, Gubbio Music Festival, Festival Internacional de Musica, Rutgers Summer Fest, Summit Music Festival, International Academy, and Southampton Arts Festival, among others.

In addition to her performing career, Elena has always been a passionate educator, devoted to sharing her gifts with the next generation. In 2006, Ms. Baksht joined the piano faculty at Michigan State University College of Music, leading an international studio ranging from undergraduate to doctoral students. While at MSU, she became a founding member of The International Science, Art and Business Exchange Program, bringing high-achieving professionals together to share ideas and talent. As part of this initiative, she served as adjunct professor at the Michigan State School of Engineering, presenting an Interactive Arts course for non-music students.

Following her years at Michigan State, Elena returned to New York, launching the Southampton Arts Festival with the goal of combining world-class performances with extensive education, creating an environment of high goals and inspiration. Over the years the festival featured renowned musicians from the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Peabody Conservatory, and Manhattan School of Music. Participants included students from around the world, among them attendees from Yale University, New England Conservatory, and NYU.

A Moscow native, Elena studied at the Central Special School for Gifted Children and the Moscow Conservatory. After coming to the United States, Ms. Baksht was awarded a scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music to study with Nina Svetlanova, and went on to earn her Master's degree at The Juilliard School, where she studied with Jerome Lowenthal.

Ms. Baksht currently resides in New York City, where she is the founder of Music at Lincoln Center, a private music studio serving students of all ages and levels, from beginner to advanced. Many of her students have received prizes at music competitions and successfully participate in NYSSMA and other piano auditions.

Having studied at the finest musical institutions in both Moscow and the United States, Elena is honored to carry on the great legacy of the extraordinary teachers she has been fortunate to learn from. Building on her rich educational background and extensive performing career, Ms. Baksht has developed a distinctive teaching approach that blends the renowned Russian pedagogical tradition with both modern American and traditional repertoire. Tailored to each student's individual needs, this method emphasizes phrasing, sound, technique, and hand position — empowering beginners and advanced learners alike, and making a lasting impact on their musical journeys.