Irina Bendetsky was born in Moscow. At the age of four, she entered professional music school, where her teacher was a student of the famous piano pedagogue Heinrych Neigaus. After completing the elite Gnessin State Music College, she was accepted at the world-renowned Gnessin Conservatory of Music where she studied under Vladimir Tropp. In 1984, she graduated with the Red Diploma, an honor given only to those who have qualified as concert pianist, accompanist, chamber musician, and teacher.
Irina has appeared with orchestras in Russia and the United States performing concertos by Liszt, Ravel, Beethoven, Bach, Shostakovich, and the famously difficult “Rach 3” (Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3).
Upon moving to San Diego in 1990, Irina joined the faculty of the University of San Diego where she taught for ten years. Today, Irina teaches privately from her studio in San Diego. Her students have won numerous competitions worldwide and performed with orchestras in New York and Europe. As accompanist, she has helped to prepare San Diego’s top musicians for competition, including the International Tchaikovsky Competition.
In 2019, Ms. Bendetsky expand her teaching repertoire with remote teaching sessions.
Alongside teaching, Irina continues to perform in the San Diego area as part of the Duet Yrion with Ondrej Lewitt. Please visit the link for upcoming performances.