«Meet the artist» Alexandra Dovgan

Published: 15/08/2025

Alexandra Dovgan is one of the outstanding talents of our time. Born in 2007, the pianist is not only gifted manually but also has an exceptional musical maturity. Festival-goers in Grafenegg can see just how fitting the exceptional status she enjoys is when she plays Camille Saint-Saëns’s Second Piano Concerto on her Grafenegg debut. 

We had an old grand piano at home, and music always filled the house. I was always fascinated by the magical sounds this instrument could produce. I loved walking up to it, pressing a single key, then different chords, and listening to how the sound resonated and lingered. The possibilities and colors of the piano are limitless, and the moment my fingers first touched the keys, it felt as if I had entered another world — a world where I could speak without words. And that feeling has never left me. 

These stages played a huge role in my formation. My early studies at the Central Music School gave me not only a technical base, but also an understanding of discipline and responsibility. From a young age, I realized that if you work hard and have a strong desire, anything is possible. While winning a competition is a testament to your creative abilities, it also highlights the amount of learning still ahead. The development of a musician is an ongoing process.

The first time I heard Saint Saens' concerto 2 performed by Grigory Sokolov. And I was struck by the depth and monumentality of the first movement, the lightness of the second movement and the dizzying brilliance in the finale of this concert. And from that moment on, I dreamed of playing this masterpiece myself, and I am very happy and excited that I will be able to do it very soon in Grafenegg. I am really looking forward to the upcoming collaboration with Tonkunstler orchestra and maestro David Afkham, and I hope it will be an exciting musical journey.

Of course, music takes up most of my life, but it is my hobbies that help me keep my mind fresh and my emotions stable. It gives me a lot of energy, inspiration, and new ideas that I can put into my music.